Wales Β· WJECSyllabus
Physical Education syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the Wales 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.
A2: Biomechanics and Movement Analysis
Module overview β- How does rotation work in sport, and how do athletes control their spin?Angular motion in sport, the quantities of angular motion, moment of inertia and its effect on angular velocity, and the conservation of angular momentum.12 min answer β
- How do air and water flow affect performance, and how is spin used in sport?Fluid mechanics in sport, the factors affecting air resistance and drag, the Bernoulli principle and lift, and the Magnus effect produced by spin.12 min answer β
- How do we analyse a movement in terms of joints, levers, planes and axes?The analysis of movement at joints, the three classes of lever and their mechanical advantage, and the planes and axes in which movements occur.12 min answer β
- How do Newton's laws and the quantities of linear motion explain sporting movement?Newton's three laws of motion applied to sport, the definitions and relationships of the linear motion quantities, and the interpretation of motion graphs.12 min answer β
- What determines how far and how a projectile travels in sport?Projectile motion in sport, the factors of release affecting horizontal distance, the forces of weight and air resistance, and the parabolic flight path.12 min answer β
Unit 1: Exercise Physiology, Performance Analysis and Training
Module overview β- How do the heart, blood vessels and lungs respond to exercise and supply working muscles with oxygen?The structure and function of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, cardiac output and ventilation, the redistribution of blood, and the regulation of heart rate and breathing during exercise.12 min answer β
- What makes up fitness, and how do we measure each part reliably?The components of physical and skill-related fitness, their definitions and importance to performance, and valid, reliable fitness tests for each, including the evaluation of test data.12 min answer β
- How do diet, hydration and ergogenic aids affect sporting performance?The components of a balanced diet, the role of macronutrients and micronutrients in performance, hydration and dietary strategies, and the use and risks of ergogenic aids.12 min answer β
- Where does the energy for muscle contraction come from across different intensities and durations?The three energy systems (ATP-PC, anaerobic glycolytic and aerobic), their fuels, by-products and yields, the energy continuum, and the recovery process including EPOC.13 min answer β
- How do muscles contract, what fibre types do we have, and how does the body adapt to training?The neuromuscular system, the sliding filament theory, slow and fast muscle fibre types, motor units and recruitment, and the acute responses and chronic adaptations of the body to exercise.12 min answer β
- How should training be designed so it brings about the right adaptations safely?The principles of training (SPORT and FITT), methods of training for different fitness components, periodisation, and the management of overtraining and recovery.12 min answer β
A2: Skill Acquisition
Module overview β- How do we classify motor skills, and why does it matter for coaching?The classification of motor skills on continua, the difference between skill and ability, and how classification informs the choice of practice.11 min answer β
- How do guidance and feedback help a performer learn and refine a skill?The types of guidance (visual, verbal, manual and mechanical) and feedback (intrinsic, extrinsic, knowledge of results, knowledge of performance, positive and negative), and their appropriate use across the stages of learning.11 min answer β
- How does a performer take in information and decide on a response?Information-processing models, the stages of input, decision-making and output, the multi-store memory model, and reaction time including the psychological refractory period.12 min answer β
- How do performers learn movement skills, and what do the main theories say?Theories of learning (operant conditioning, cognitive, observational and Bandura's model), the stages of learning, and the transfer of learning between skills.12 min answer β
- How should practice be organised and skills presented for the best learning?The types of practice (massed, distributed, fixed, varied) and methods of presenting a skill (whole, part, whole-part-whole, progressive-part), matched to the skill and the learner.11 min answer β
A2: Sport and Society
Module overview β- How have money and the media reshaped modern sport, and who wins and loses?The commercialisation of sport, the golden triangle of sport, sponsorship and the media, the functions and types of media coverage, and the positive and negative effects of commercialisation on sport, players and spectators.13 min answer β
- Why do athletes dope, and how does sport try to stop them?Doping in sport, the reasons performers use illegal performance-enhancing drugs and methods, the arguments for and against doping, and the strategies used to eliminate it including WADA, testing and education.13 min answer β
- Where is the line between competing hard and cheating, and why do athletes cross it?Sporting ethics including fair play, sportsmanship and gamesmanship, the concept of deviance, relative and absolute deviance, under-conformity and over-conformity, and Coakley's sport ethic.13 min answer β
- How has sport become a global business, and what does that mean for performers, fans and host nations?The globalisation of sport, its causes including the media and travel, the migration of performers, the hosting of global sporting events, and the benefits and drawbacks of a global sporting marketplace.12 min answer β
- How is the practical, non-exam part of WJEC A-Level PE assessed, and how do you score well in it?An overview of the non-exam assessment (practical performance and the analysis and evaluation of personal performance), what is assessed, how it is marked and moderated, and how to prepare for it.12 min answer β
- How did sport develop from pre-industrial pastimes into the organised, global activity we know today?The relationship between sport, culture and society, and the historical development of sport from pre-industrial through post-industrial Britain to the modern global game.13 min answer β
A2: Sport Psychology
Module overview β- How do arousal and anxiety affect performance, and how can they be managed?The theories of arousal, the types of anxiety and their effect on performance, and the cognitive and somatic techniques used to control arousal and anxiety.13 min answer β
- What makes an effective leader in sport, and which style suits which situation?Theories of leadership, leadership styles, how leaders emerge, and the factors and models that determine effective leadership in sport.12 min answer β
- What drives performers to achieve, and how do they explain their successes and failures?Types of motivation, achievement motivation and self-efficacy, goal setting, and the attribution of success and failure including learned helplessness.12 min answer β
- How do personality, attitudes and aggression shape sporting behaviour?Theories of personality and personality profiling, the formation and change of attitudes, and the nature, theories and control of aggression in sport.12 min answer β
- How do other people and being in a team affect a performer?Social facilitation and inhibition, evaluation apprehension, the stages of group formation, cohesion, and the causes of reduced individual effort in groups.12 min answer β