← Northern Ireland Physical Education
Northern Ireland · CCEASyllabus
Physical Education syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the Northern Ireland 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.
Developing Physical Fitness for Performance
Module overview →- What are the health-related and skill-related components of fitness, and why does each matter in sport?The health-related components of fitness (aerobic energy production, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility and body composition) and the skill-related factors (co-ordination, balance, reaction time and agility), with a sporting example of each.8 min answer →
- Why do we test fitness, which test measures each component, and how are results made reliable and useful?The reasons for fitness testing, the standard tests for each component of fitness (for example the multi-stage fitness test, sit and reach, grip dynamometer, Illinois agility run), and how to make testing valid, reliable and fair.8 min answer →
- What are the main methods of training, what does each develop, and which suits a given sport?The main methods of training (continuous, fartlek, interval, circuit, weight/resistance, plyometric and flexibility training), what each one develops, and how to choose a method to suit a performer and their sport.8 min answer →
- What are the principles of training (SPORRT and FITT), and how are they applied to make a programme effective?The principles of training (specificity, progression, overload, recovery, reversibility and tedium - SPORRT), the FITT principle (frequency, intensity, time, type) used to apply overload, and the idea of peaking, applied to a training programme.8 min answer →
- What makes a goal SMART, and how are the components, methods and principles brought together in a personal exercise programme?Setting SMART targets (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound) and designing a personal exercise programme that applies the components of fitness, the methods of training and the principles of training, including a warm-up and cool-down.8 min answer →
Developing Skilled Performance
Module overview →- What are the types of feedback, how does each help learning, and which suits a beginner or an expert?The types of feedback (intrinsic, extrinsic, concurrent and terminal), how each helps a performer improve, and how to choose the right feedback for a learner's stage.8 min answer →
- What are the types of guidance, what are the strengths and weaknesses of each, and which suits a given learner?The types of guidance (visual, verbal and physical/manual), the advantages and disadvantages of each, and how to choose the right type of guidance for a learner at a given stage.8 min answer →
- How does a performer take in information, decide what to do, carry out the action and use feedback to improve?The information-processing model (input, decision making, output and feedback), the role of memory, and how a performer uses the process to produce and refine a movement in sport.8 min answer →
- What is a skill, how are skills classified, and why does the classification matter for learning and coaching?The meaning of skill and ability, the classification of skills (basic/complex, open/closed, gross/fine, self-paced/externally-paced) on continua, and how classification affects how a skill is taught and practised.8 min answer →
Health and Lifestyle Decisions
Module overview →- What makes up a balanced diet, what does each nutrient do, and how should diet change for an active performer?The components of a balanced diet (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water), the function of each, energy balance and its link to body weight, the importance of hydration, and how diet is adapted for performance.8 min answer →
- What do health, fitness and wellbeing mean, how are they linked, and how does an active lifestyle improve each one?The meaning of health, fitness and wellbeing, the difference and the link between them, the physical, mental/emotional and social benefits of an active lifestyle, and the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle.8 min answer →
- How do lifestyle decisions such as smoking, alcohol, recreational drugs, rest and activity levels affect health and performance?The effects of lifestyle decisions on health and performance: smoking, alcohol, recreational/social drugs, rest and sleep, and physical activity levels, and how positive choices support a healthy active lifestyle.8 min answer →
- Why do people take part in physical activity, what stops them, and how can they keep it up?The reasons people take part in physical activity (health, enjoyment, social, competition, challenge), the barriers to participation, and the strategies that improve adherence to a healthy active lifestyle.8 min answer →
The Active Leisure Industry
Module overview →- How do commercialisation, the media, sponsorship and technology shape modern sport, for better and worse?The commercialisation of sport, the relationship between sport, sponsorship and the media, and the use of technology in sport, including the advantages and disadvantages of each for performers, spectators and the sport.8 min answer →
- What do sportsmanship and gamesmanship mean, and why do performers take banned drugs despite the risks?Ethics in sport: sportsmanship, gamesmanship and deviance, and the use of performance-enhancing drugs, including the reasons performers take them, the types and effects, and the arguments for and against drug testing.8 min answer →
- Which personal and social factors affect how much different groups take part in sport, and how can participation be widened?The factors affecting participation in physical activity (age, gender, disability, ethnicity/culture, socio-economic status, time and access), the groups whose participation is lower, and the strategies used to widen participation.8 min answer →
- What is the active leisure industry, what does it provide, and which sectors deliver it?The meaning and scope of the active leisure industry, the products and services it provides, the public, private and voluntary sectors, and the benefits of the industry to individuals and society.8 min answer →
The Body at Work
Module overview →- What are the types of joint and the types of movement at joints, and how do they let the body perform sporting actions?The types of synovial joint (hinge and ball and socket), the types of movement at joints (flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, rotation and circumduction), and how joints and movement are applied to physical activity.8 min answer →
- How does the cardiovascular system deliver oxygen during exercise, and what do heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output mean?The structure of the heart and the pathway of blood, the double circulatory system, the three types of blood vessel, and heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output applied to physical activity.8 min answer →
- What are the immediate (short-term) and long-term effects of exercise on the body systems?The immediate (short-term) effects of exercise on the muscular, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and the long-term effects of regular training on these systems, applied to physical activity and performance.8 min answer →
- How do muscles work in antagonistic pairs, and what are the types of muscle and muscle contraction used in sport?The major muscles of the body, how muscles work in antagonistic pairs as agonist and antagonist, the types of muscle (voluntary, involuntary and cardiac), and the types of contraction (isotonic and isometric) applied to physical activity.8 min answer →
- How does the respiratory system get oxygen into the blood during exercise, and what are tidal volume and vital capacity?The structure of the respiratory system, the mechanism of breathing, gas exchange at the alveoli, the lung volumes (tidal volume, vital capacity and minute ventilation), and aerobic and anaerobic respiration applied to physical activity.8 min answer →
- What are the functions of the skeleton, the types of bone and the parts of a synovial joint, and how do they support physical activity?The five main functions of the skeleton, the major bones and types of bone, the structure of a synovial joint, and how the skeletal system is applied to sport and physical activity.8 min answer →