Writing a numerical range, such as "16 to 25 RM", in a training table cell that wants one exact figure.

Give a single number in every blank cell, for example 24 reps, not a range. The mark scheme is looking for a precise value that fits the stated parameters.

Assuming a higher Repetition Maximum number means a heavier weight.

Remember it the other way round: a higher RM number means more reps are possible, which means the weight is lighter, suited to muscular endurance rather than maximum strength.

Describing stimulus data in general terms instead of quoting the exact percentage or repetition value given.

Copy the actual number from the table into your justification. A vague description of the data earns less than the same point made with the figure attached.

Writing QWC extended answers as separate bullet-point facts instead of a connected explanation.

Write full sentences that explain cause and effect, for example what vasodilation does to blood flow during exercise, rather than naming the term and moving on.

Confusing isometric muscle action (static, no length change) with isotonic (dynamic, shortening or lengthening).

Learn the pair together: isometric holds a fixed joint angle, isotonic involves the muscle actually changing length.

Confusing exteroceptors (external sensory input) with proprioceptors (internal sense of joint and muscle position).

Exteroceptors pick up information from outside the body, such as sight. Proprioceptors report where the body's own joints and muscles are.

Placing dynamic stretching in the cool-down instead of the warm-up.

Dynamic stretching belongs in the pulse-raising part of the warm-up. Static stretching is more appropriate to the cool-down.

Producing a tournament bracket or schedule with incorrect seed placements, unbalanced rounds, or a team playing twice in one round.

Check every team appears the correct number of times per round before you finish, and include the third-place play-off between the two losing semi-finalists in a knockout draw.

CCEA GCSE · Exam Tips

Physical Education 7210 Exam Tips

GCSE PE loses marks on precise numbers as often as on theory, a vague repetition figure or a missing intensity value costs marks examiner reports confirm are recoverable. See exactly how Paper 1 and Paper 2 are timed and marked.

4 min readUpdated: 3 Sept 2026

Exam at a Glance

Papers

Total Marks

200

Time Limit

2h 30min

Question Types

Paper	Duration	Marks	Questions	Weighting	Question Types
Paper 1: Factors Underpinning Health and Performance	1h 15min	100	16	25%	Multiple choice / binary selection, Diagram labelling and short explanation, Line matching task, Categorisation and distinction, Data analysis and event suitability, Structured functional explanation, Extended response (QWC level of response), Nutritional and energy needs recall/explanation, Short definition and leisure industry provision, Fitness testing table analysis and SMART goal setting, Event management budgeting and tournament draw planning
Paper 2: Developing Performance	1h 15min	100	19	25%	Concept definition and practical importance, Training principles and peaking phase applications, Session components and coaching considerations, Sporting action and fitness component justifications, Continuous and fartlek training comparisons and plan, Circuit parameter selection and extended QWC justification, Weight overload table completion and extended QWC justification, Skill continua identification and rationale, Learning stages, feedback and guidance short explanations, Psychological arousal state explanations in sport, Goal setting dimensions (SMART), Practice timing evaluation (QWC level of response)

Grade Scale

A*ABC*CDEFGU

Calculator Policy

The specification sets no subject-specific calculator rule for GCSE Physical Education, and neither paper requires a calculator. Some questions involve simple arithmetic, such as target heart rate percentages, repetition maximum figures, or event budgets, and these should be worked out by hand with your method shown, since the mark scheme credits the working as well as the answer. If you do bring a calculator, the general JCQ rule applies: it must have no stored, retrievable data, formulae, or programs, and any exam mode should be activated.

AO1: AO1: recall knowledge and demonstrate understanding of the relevant concepts, facts, terminology, principles and methods (20%)
AO2: AO2: apply effectively the relevant concepts, facts, terminology, principles and methods (15%)
AO3: AO3: analyse, interpret and evaluate information and/or data about the subject content (15%)
AO4: AO4: perform safely, efficiently, effectively and consistently the skills, strategies, tactical or compositional principles used in physical activities and sports, and analyse and evaluate the quality of those performances (assessed through controlled assessment, not the two written papers) (50%)

Built from real past papers and marking schemes (2023–2025).

Tips & Strategies

Where the marks actually go

GCSE Physical Education has two written papers, Paper 1 (Factors Underpinning Health and Performance) and Paper 2 (Developing Performance), each worth 100 marks in 75 minutes and each carrying 25 percent of your overall GCSE grade. A third component, controlled assessment of practical performance, carries the remaining 50 percent but is not examined by written paper. Across the written papers, AO1 (recall knowledge) is worth 20 percent overall, AO2 (apply knowledge) 15 percent, AO3 (analyse, interpret and evaluate data) 15 percent. Examiner reports on real scripts show the biggest source of lost marks is not missing theory, it is vague or approximate numbers where the mark scheme wants an exact figure.

Timing across both papers

Both papers run at 45 seconds a mark (75 minutes for 100 marks), the fastest pace of any CCEA subject in this analysis, so precision under time pressure matters more here than almost anywhere else. In Paper 2, the 15-mark circuit training question deserves about 11 minutes, the 14-mark weight overload table about 10 to 11 minutes, and the 9-mark sporting action question about 7 minutes. In Paper 1, the three 8-mark extended response questions deserve about 6 minutes each. Examiner reports flag QWC-marked extended questions as the ones most often left short when time runs out, so protect their time deliberately.

Give the exact number, not the range

This is the single most repeated fault in examiner reports across both papers. Training tables ask for a specific repetition count or intensity value, and candidates repeatedly write a range instead, for example "16 to 25 RM" in a blank cell that wants one number, such as 24 reps. A Repetition Maximum figure also gets inverted in scripts: a higher RM number means more repetitions can be performed, which means a lighter weight, not a heavier one, since RM is the maximum number of reps possible at a given load. When a stimulus table gives percentages or fitness-test results, quote the actual number given in your justification rather than describing it in general terms; examiner reports specifically note failing to cite the exact percentage or repetition value as a repeated cause of lost marks.

The QWC extended questions need physiological explanation, not bullet fragments

The 6 and 9-mark questions marked for quality of written communication are graded on connected, cohesive explanation, not on the number of facts listed. Examiner reports describe candidates writing bullet-point fragments that name the right ideas without linking them, for example naming vasodilation without explaining what it does to blood flow during exercise, or naming selective attention without connecting it to performance. Write these as full sentences that explain a mechanism from cause to effect, using the correct specialist term as part of that sentence, not as an isolated label.

Common physiology mix-ups to avoid

A cluster of specific confusions comes up repeatedly enough to be worth learning as pairs rather than single facts: isometric muscle action (static tension, no change in muscle length) against isotonic (dynamic, muscle shortens or lengthens); exteroceptors (external sensory input, for example vision) against proprioceptors (internal sense of joint and muscle position); continuous training (steady, unbroken pace) against interval or fartlek training (built-in variation or rest); dynamic stretching, which belongs in the warm-up, not the cool-down. In each case the exam question is testing whether you know which one applies, so answer with the specific term for the situation described, not the general topic area.

Event management and tournament questions: check the structure

Tournament draw and schedule questions are marked on structural accuracy as much as on content. Examiner reports flag knockout brackets with incorrect seed placements, unbalanced rounds, or a missing third-place play-off between the two losing semi-finalists, and league schedules where a team is set to play twice in the same round. Before you submit a tournament plan, count that every team appears the correct number of times and that no round has a repeated fixture.

Exam-day plan

Whenever a training or fitness table gives you numbers, quote them exactly in your answer rather than paraphrasing. In every QWC question, write connected sentences that explain cause and effect using the correct term, not a list of terms. Check tournament brackets and schedules for repeated fixtures and correct seeding before moving on. Time the three 8-mark Paper 1 questions at 6 minutes each and the two long Paper 2 questions at 10 to 11 minutes each, and do not let the shorter recall questions eat into that budget.

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Common Mistakes

1highMarks at stake: 3Training tables
Writing a numerical range, such as "16 to 25 RM", in a training table cell that wants one exact figure.
How to avoid it: Give a single number in every blank cell, for example 24 reps, not a range. The mark scheme is looking for a precise value that fits the stated parameters.
2highMarks at stake: 2Repetition maximum
Assuming a higher Repetition Maximum number means a heavier weight.
How to avoid it: Remember it the other way round: a higher RM number means more reps are possible, which means the weight is lighter, suited to muscular endurance rather than maximum strength.
3highMarks at stake: 3Data analysis questions
Describing stimulus data in general terms instead of quoting the exact percentage or repetition value given.
How to avoid it: Copy the actual number from the table into your justification. A vague description of the data earns less than the same point made with the figure attached.
4highMarks at stake: 4Extended response questions (QWC)
Writing QWC extended answers as separate bullet-point facts instead of a connected explanation.
How to avoid it: Write full sentences that explain cause and effect, for example what vasodilation does to blood flow during exercise, rather than naming the term and moving on.
5mediumMarks at stake: 2Muscular system
Confusing isometric muscle action (static, no length change) with isotonic (dynamic, shortening or lengthening).
How to avoid it: Learn the pair together: isometric holds a fixed joint angle, isotonic involves the muscle actually changing length.
6mediumMarks at stake: 2Nervous system
Confusing exteroceptors (external sensory input) with proprioceptors (internal sense of joint and muscle position).
How to avoid it: Exteroceptors pick up information from outside the body, such as sight. Proprioceptors report where the body's own joints and muscles are.
7mediumMarks at stake: 2Principles of training
Placing dynamic stretching in the cool-down instead of the warm-up.
How to avoid it: Dynamic stretching belongs in the pulse-raising part of the warm-up. Static stretching is more appropriate to the cool-down.
8mediumMarks at stake: 4Event management
Producing a tournament bracket or schedule with incorrect seed placements, unbalanced rounds, or a team playing twice in one round.
How to avoid it: Check every team appears the correct number of times per round before you finish, and include the third-place play-off between the two losing semi-finalists in a knockout draw.

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