AQA GCSE Physical Education guide FAQ (8582)
Guide overview All 7 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
AQA GCSE Physical Education: questions and answers
Specification 8582. Two sets, because students and parents ask different things.
For students
Is my practical assessment covered?
No. Your practical performance in three activities and the written analysis are marked in school and moderated. They are 40 per cent of the GCSE and they are not examined content.
The guide covers the two written papers in full.
Which topics are on which paper?
Paper 1 is Applied Anatomy and Physiology, Movement Analysis, Physical Training and Use of Data. Paper 2 is Sports Psychology, Socio-cultural Influences, Health, Fitness and Wellbeing, and Use of Data. The breakdown is here.
What does Use of Data actually mean?
Reading and interpreting graphs and tables of sporting and physiological data, calculating from them, and explaining what the numbers show. AQA examines it on both papers, which is why it is a topic in its own right rather than an afterthought.
Do I have to name the bones and muscles?
Yes. Applied anatomy is examined on specific names: the bones, the major muscle groups, the joint types and the movements they allow, and the antagonistic pairs.
How long does one session take?
About twenty minutes for one subtopic, all three steps. Topics run from 34 to 157 questions.
Can I do it in my head instead of writing?
Write. PE marks turn on precise anatomical and physiological terms. The method page sets out the evidence.
Do I still need past papers?
Yes. This guide handles recall. Past papers train the applied answers and the data questions within 1 hour 15 minutes. AQA publishes them free.
For parents
What is this, in plain terms?
A PDF of 653 exam-style questions covering the written content of AQA GCSE Physical Education, with the answers printed after each topic.
My child assumed PE would be mostly practical.
The practical is 40 per cent and is assessed in school. The two written papers are 60 per cent and they examine anatomy, physiology, training, psychology and sociology in detail.
How do I check it is the right course?
The specification code is on the exam timetable. AQA GCSE Physical Education is 8582.
How do I know if it is being used properly?
There should be handwritten answers on paper and three passes over the same questions, and two scores per session to compare.
How much is it compared with a textbook?
£7.00 for the whole specification. A GCSE PE revision guide is usually £6 to £10.
How much time does it take?
41 subtopics at roughly twenty minutes each is about 14 hours for a full first pass of the written content.
What else does my child need?
Past papers, free from AQA, and their own notes for anything not yet taught.
AQA GCSE Physical Education Active Recall Guide
653 questions with their answers, 41 subtopics, one file.