Paper 2 exam skills

Paper 2, Socio-cultural issues and sports psychology, lasts 1 hour and has 60 marks: about a mark a minute.

• Section A (30 marks): short questions, mostly 1 to 3 marks.
• Section B (30 marks): questions about a sporting situation, with data, and one 6-mark extended response, marked with an asterisk (*).

There's no calculator for Paper 2.

• Identify, name, state: a word or short phrase.
• Describe: say what something is like.
• Explain: say how or why, usually with an example.
• Analyse, evaluate, discuss: weigh up points and reach a judgement.

Question: Explain, using an example from sport, what is meant by gamesmanship.

Model answer: Gamesmanship is bending the rules to gain an advantage without breaking them (1), such as a footballer taking a long time over a throw-in near the end of a match, to waste time (1).

The first mark is for knowledge; the second is for applying it, with a specific action from a sport.

The table shows the percentage of members of one sports club who play each week, by age. The data was written for this app.

Question: Describe the trend, and give one reason for it.

Model answer: The older the age group, the lower the percentage who play each week, falling from 68% to 37% (1). One reason is that people aged 25 to 44 may have work or family commitments, so they have less time to play (1).

Question: Evaluate the positive and negative effects of TV coverage on a sport of your choice.

Model answer: TV coverage of football brings in huge sums from broadcasting deals, so clubs can pay for better facilities and coaching. Coverage makes players role models, which encourages young people to take up football and increases participation. It also attracts sponsors, because millions see their brand: this is the golden triangle. However, TV companies may set kick-off times to suit viewers rather than fans or players, and many matches are only on paid channels, so some fans can't afford to watch. Players' mistakes and bad behaviour are replayed, which young people may copy. Overall, the positives outweigh the negatives for the sport, because the money and inspiration TV brings help football grow, but fans pay a price.

The 6-mark answer is marked in three levels, as in Paper 1:

• Level 3 (5 to 6 marks): detailed knowledge, clearly applied to the sport throughout, effective evaluation, and knowledge from other parts of the course, in a well-organised answer with accurate specialist terms.
• Level 2 (3 to 4 marks): satisfactory knowledge, some application and some evaluation.
• Level 1 (1 to 2 marks): basic knowledge, with little application or evaluation.

The model answer reaches Level 3 because it applies every point to football, weighs positives against negatives, and reaches a judgement.