England · OCRSyllabus
Physical Education syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the England Physical Educationsyllabus, with a focused answer for each one. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions, and links to related dot points. Written by Claude Opus 4.8, Anthropic's latest AI.
Applied anatomy and physiology (Component 01)
Module overview →- How does the cardiovascular system respond to exercise to deliver oxygen to the muscles?The cardiac cycle, the regulation of heart rate, cardiac output and the cardiovascular drift, venous return mechanisms, and the redistribution of blood flow during exercise.11 min answer →
- How do the three energy systems resynthesise ATP for different sporting intensities?ATP and its resynthesis by the ATP-PC, glycolytic and aerobic systems, their fuels, sites, by-products, ATP yield and duration, and the energy continuum across sporting activities.11 min answer →
- How does the nervous system recruit muscle fibres to control force in sport?The motor unit and the all-or-none law, the recruitment of motor units and wave summation to grade force, and the proprioceptors and reflexes that control movement and protect muscle.9 min answer →
- How does the respiratory system take in oxygen and exchange gases during exercise?The mechanics of breathing, lung volumes and minute ventilation, gaseous exchange at the alveoli and muscles by diffusion, and the regulation of breathing during exercise.10 min answer →
- How do the joints, muscles and fibre types produce and control movement in sport?Joint types and movements, the antagonistic muscle action that produces them, muscle contraction types, and the three muscle fibre types with their roles in sport.10 min answer →
Biomechanics (Component 01)
Module overview →- How is rotation produced and controlled in sport?The quantities of angular motion (angular displacement, velocity and acceleration), moment of inertia, angular momentum and its conservation, and how a performer controls rotation in flight.10 min answer →
- How do the basic mechanical quantities and lever systems describe movement in sport?The mechanical quantities of mass, weight, inertia and centre of mass, the three classes of lever and their components, and mechanical advantage and its effect on force and range of movement.10 min answer →
- How do drag, lift and spin affect the movement of bodies and objects in sport?The factors affecting air and water resistance (drag), how lift is created by the Bernoulli principle, and the Magnus effect that makes a spinning ball swerve.10 min answer →
- How do Newton's laws, force, momentum and impulse describe linear motion in sport?Newton's three laws of motion applied to sport, the quantities of linear motion (distance, displacement, speed, velocity, acceleration), and the calculation and use of force, momentum and impulse.11 min answer →
- What determines the flight path of a projectile in sport?The factors affecting the horizontal distance of a projectile (speed, angle and height of release), the parabolic flight path and the resolution of forces into horizontal and vertical components.10 min answer →
Contemporary issues in physical activity and sport (Component 03)
Module overview →- How do commercialisation and the media shape modern sport?The golden triangle of sport, sponsorship and the media, and the positive and negative effects of commercialisation and media coverage on sport, performers and spectators.10 min answer →
- Why do athletes use performance-enhancing drugs, and how is doping tackled?The types of performance-enhancing drugs and their effects, the reasons athletes dope and the arguments for and against, and the strategies used to combat doping.10 min answer →
- How does technology affect performance, officiating and the experience of sport?The use of technology in performance analysis, officiating and equipment, and the benefits and drawbacks of technology for performers, officials and spectators.10 min answer →
- How has the modern Olympic Games been used politically and shaped by commercial forces?The values and development of the modern Olympic Games, their political use (propaganda, boycotts and protest), and the impact of commercialisation on the Games.10 min answer →
- What causes violence by performers and spectators, and how is it reduced?The causes of violence by performers and by spectators (including the role of the media and deindividuation), and the strategies used to reduce violence in sport.10 min answer →
Exercise physiology (Component 01)
Module overview →- How do diet and legal ergogenic aids support training and performance?The macronutrients and micronutrients and their roles, dietary strategies such as glycogen loading and hydration, and the benefits and risks of legal ergogenic aids.10 min answer →
- How do altitude and heat affect performance, and how do athletes prepare for them?The effects of altitude on oxygen availability and aerobic performance, the effects of heat and humidity on thermoregulation, and the acclimatisation and strategies used to cope with each.9 min answer →
- How are sports injuries prevented, treated and rehabilitated?Acute and chronic injuries and their intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors, the methods used to prevent injury, the immediate management of acute injuries, and the rehabilitation methods that restore performance.10 min answer →
- How does the body recover after exercise and repay its oxygen debt?Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and its fast and slow components, the replenishment of phosphocreatine and the removal of lactate, and recovery strategies that speed return to readiness.10 min answer →
- How do different training methods produce the physiological adaptations that improve performance?The principles of training, the main training methods for aerobic, anaerobic, strength and flexibility goals, and the long-term cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular adaptations they cause.11 min answer →
Skill acquisition (Component 02)
Module overview →- How are motor skills classified, and why does it matter for coaching?The characteristics of skill and the classification of skills on continua (open-closed, gross-fine, discrete-serial-continuous, self-paced-externally paced), and how classification informs practice.9 min answer →
- How do guidance and feedback help a performer learn and refine a skill?The types of guidance (visual, verbal, manual, mechanical), the types of feedback (intrinsic, extrinsic, knowledge of results and performance), and matching each to the stage of learning.10 min answer →
- How does memory store and retrieve the information needed to perform a skill?The multi-store memory model (short-term sensory store, short-term memory, long-term memory), selective attention, and the strategies that improve the storage and retrieval of motor information.9 min answer →
- How does a performer move through the stages of learning and process information to act?Fitts and Posner's three stages of learning, the shape of learning curves and the plateau, and the information-processing model from input to output including reaction, response and movement time.11 min answer →
- How do learning theories explain skill development, and how does one skill affect another?The learning theories (operant conditioning, observational learning and cognitive learning), the types of transfer of learning, and how a coach maximises positive transfer and limits negative transfer.10 min answer →
Sport and society (Component 03)
Module overview →- How did sport change from pre-industrial popular recreation to the rationalised sport of today?The characteristics of pre-industrial popular recreation, the social factors that shaped it, and the rationalisation of sport through urbanisation, public schools and the development of national governing bodies.10 min answer →
- What do sportsmanship, gamesmanship and deviance mean, and how is fair play promoted?The concepts of amateurism and the Olympic ideal, sportsmanship and gamesmanship, positive and negative deviance, and the strategies used to promote sporting behaviour and fair play.10 min answer →
- How has sport become a global phenomenon, and what are the consequences?The globalisation of sport through the media, sponsorship, migration and travel, the impact of hosting global events, and the role of sport as a global commodity and a tool of politics.10 min answer →
- How do class, gender, ethnicity and disability affect participation and opportunity in sport?The barriers to participation and equality of opportunity facing women, ethnic minorities, disabled people and lower social classes, and the strategies and legislation that promote inclusion.11 min answer →
Sports psychology (Component 02)
Module overview →- What causes aggression in sport, and what drives a performer to achieve?The theories of aggression (instinct, frustration-aggression, aggressive cue and social learning), strategies to control aggression, and the theory of achievement motivation and goal setting.11 min answer →
- How do arousal, anxiety and stress affect sporting performance?The theories of the arousal-performance relationship (drive, inverted U, catastrophe, zone of optimal functioning), the types of anxiety, and the stress management techniques that control them.11 min answer →
- How do confidence and the way performers explain success and failure affect performance?Self-confidence and self-efficacy (Bandura), Vealey's model of sport confidence, attribution theory (Weiner), and learned helplessness and how to develop mastery orientation.10 min answer →
- How do groups form and perform, and what makes an effective leader in sport?The formation and cohesion of groups, Steiner's model of group productivity and social loafing, and the theories of leadership including styles and Fiedler's and Chelladurai's models.11 min answer →
- How do personality and attitudes shape a performer's behaviour in sport?The theories of personality (trait, social learning and interactionist), the structure and formation of attitudes, and how attitudes can be changed to encourage participation and performance.10 min answer →