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CCEA GCSE Physical Education: complete guide to the components, the theory and how to study each module

A complete guide to CCEA GCSE Physical Education (Northern Ireland). Covers the three components, the body systems and movement, health, fitness and training, sport psychology and the socio-cultural factors, how the two written papers and the non-examined practical are assessed, and how to study each module for top grades.

Browse guides →Syllabus dot points (23)

CCEA GCSE Physical Education is a linear course examined by two written papers and a non-examined practical, set and marked by CCEA in Northern Ireland. This page is the index: below is a map of the three components and their theory, the assessment structure, and how to study each module.

The CCEA GCSE Physical Education components

The qualification is built around three components, two assessed by written exam and one by practical performance.

Component 1: Factors Underpinning Health and Performance (25 percent)
A 1 hour 15 minute written paper (paper code G9771) with three sections: 3.1.1 The Body at Work (the skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, movement and the effects of exercise), 3.1.2 Health and Lifestyle Decisions (health, fitness and wellbeing, diet and lifestyle), and 3.1.3 The Active Leisure Industry (participation and sport in society).
Component 2: Developing Performance (25 percent)
A 1 hour 15 minute written paper (paper code G9772) with two sections: 3.2.1 Developing Physical Fitness for Performance (the components of fitness, fitness testing, and the methods and principles of training) and 3.2.2 Developing Skilled Performance (sport psychology: skill classification, guidance, feedback and goal setting).
Component 3: Individual Performances in Physical Activities (50 percent)
The non-examined practical (paper code G9773). Students are assessed in three activities or sports and complete an analysis of performance with a personal exercise programme. The work is marked in centre and moderated by CCEA.

The theory, topic by topic

The course spans physiology, training science, psychology and the social side of sport.

  • The body systems and movement. The skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, joints and movement, and the immediate and long-term effects of exercise.
  • Health, fitness and lifestyle. Definitions of health, fitness and wellbeing, diet and nutrition, and the lifestyle choices that affect performance and health.
  • Developing physical fitness. The components of fitness, fitness testing, the methods of training and the principles of training (FITT and SPORRT), and the personal exercise programme.
  • Developing skilled performance. Skill and ability, skill classification on continua, the information-processing model, and the types of guidance and feedback.
  • The active leisure industry and society. Participation in sport and the factors affecting it, commercialisation, the media and sponsorship, technology, drugs in sport, and sportsmanship.

Assessment structure

CCEA GCSE PE splits 50 percent theory and 50 percent practical, with the theory shared equally between two papers.

  • Component 1 Paper 1 (25%) - structured short-answer, applied, calculation and extended questions on the body, health and the active leisure industry.
  • Component 2 Paper 2 (25%) - structured and extended questions on developing physical fitness and developing skilled performance.
  • Component 3 (50%) - performance in three activities plus an analysis of performance and personal exercise programme, marked in centre and moderated.

How to study CCEA Physical Education

PE rewards precise knowledge, clear application to sport, and disciplined exam technique.

  1. Learn the body systems as sequences. Link every structure to its function and apply it to a named sport.
  2. Master the training science. Know the components of fitness with a test and a sport for each, and apply FITT and SPORRT to a programme.
  3. Apply, do not just describe. Most marks come from linking a point to a performer or activity.
  4. Separate the social arguments. For drugs, commercialisation and technology, learn the points for and against.
  5. Practise to time. Drill CCEA past papers and the module quizzes, and plan your extended answers.

The modules, dot point by dot point

Each module has an overview guide, a set of focused dot-point answer pages and a quiz. The five modules cover the whole specification:

  • The Body at Work (Component 1, 3.1.1) - the skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, movement and joints, and the effects of exercise.
  • Health and Lifestyle Decisions (Component 1, 3.1.2) - health, fitness and wellbeing, diet and nutrition, lifestyle decisions, and maintaining a healthy active lifestyle.
  • The Active Leisure Industry (Component 1, 3.1.3) - the leisure industry and its sectors, factors affecting participation, commercialisation, media and technology, and ethics and drugs in sport.
  • Developing Physical Fitness for Performance (Component 2, 3.2.1) - the components of fitness, methods of training, principles of training (SPORRT and FITT), fitness testing, and SMART goals and the personal exercise programme.
  • Developing Skilled Performance (Component 2, 3.2.2) - skill classification, information processing, guidance, and feedback.

Browse the full set of dot points at /ccea-gcse/physical-education/syllabus.

For the official specification

CCEA publishes the full specification, past papers and mark schemes at ccea.org.uk. Always revise from the current CCEA specification and CCEA's own past papers, because question style is board-specific.

Physical Education guides

In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.

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Physical Education practice quizzes

Multiple-choice drills with worked answer explanations. Your scores stay on this device.

The CCEA-GCSE system, explained

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Common questions about Physical Education

How is CCEA GCSE Physical Education structured?
CCEA GCSE Physical Education has three components. Component 1, Factors Underpinning Health and Performance, is a 1 hour 15 minute written paper worth 25 percent, covering the body at work, health and lifestyle decisions, and the active leisure industry. Component 2, Developing Performance, is a 1 hour 15 minute written paper worth 25 percent, covering developing physical fitness and developing skilled performance. Component 3, Individual Performances in Physical Activities, is non-examined and worth 50 percent: students are assessed in three activities and analyse their own performance.
What theory topics does CCEA GCSE PE cover?
The theory spans the body systems (skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular and respiratory) and movement; health, fitness and wellbeing and lifestyle decisions including diet; the components of fitness, fitness testing and the methods and principles of training (FITT and SPORRT); the personal exercise programme; sport psychology including skill classification, guidance, feedback and goal setting; and socio-cultural factors such as participation, the active leisure industry, commercialisation, drugs in sport and sportsmanship.
How is the practical performance assessed in CCEA GCSE PE?
Component 3 is the non-examined practical, worth 50 percent. Students are assessed in three physical activities or sports, demonstrating skills in increasingly demanding and competitive situations. They also complete an analysis of performance task, identifying strengths and weaknesses and producing a personal exercise programme to improve a chosen area. Fitness tests are administered as part of the assessment. The work is marked in centre and moderated by CCEA.
What are the principles of training in CCEA GCSE PE?
CCEA uses two acronyms. FITT sets how to apply training: frequency (how often), intensity (how hard), time (how long) and type (which method). SPORRT sets the principles that make training effective: specificity, progression, overload, recovery, reversibility and tedium. Applying FITT and SPORRT to a personal exercise programme is a core skill in both the written exam and Component 3.
Which exams assess CCEA GCSE PE and how are they weighted?
Two written papers and one non-examined component. Paper 1 (Component 1, paper code G9771) and Paper 2 (Component 2, paper code G9772) are each a 1 hour 15 minute written examination worth 25 percent, so the theory is worth 50 percent in total. Component 3 (paper code G9773), the practical performance and analysis, is worth the remaining 50 percent. The qualification is linear, with all assessment at the end of the course.
How should I revise CCEA GCSE PE?
Learn the body systems as sequences and link structure to function, then separate the immediate and long-term effects of exercise. Memorise the components of fitness with a fitness test and a sport for each, and drill FITT and SPORRT applied to a programme. For sport psychology, learn the classifications and the guidance and feedback types. For socio-cultural topics, learn the factors affecting participation and the arguments for and against drugs, commercialisation and technology. Practise CCEA past papers and apply every point to a named sport, because that application earns the marks.