Paper 1 exam skills
Paper 1 at a glance
Paper 1, Physical factors affecting performance, lasts 1 hour and has 60 marks: about a mark a minute.
- Section A (30 marks): short questions, mostly 1 or 2 marks. Some are 'tick one box'; others ask you to name, state, define or complete a statement.
- Section B (30 marks): questions about a sporting example, such as a gymnast or a cyclist, with data tables, calculations and , marked with an asterisk (*).
You may use a calculator.
Key terms
Question types and command words
| Question | Marks | AOs | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tick one box, name, state, identify | 1 | AO1 | 1 minute |
| Short answer, often with an example | 2 to 4 | AO1, AO2, sometimes AO3 | 2 to 4 minutes |
| Calculation from data | 1 | AO2 | 1 minute |
| Extended response | 6 | AO1 2, AO2 2, AO3 2 | 8 minutes |
- Identify, name, state: a word or short phrase.
- Describe: say what something is like.
- Explain: say how or why, usually with an example.
- link it to the sport named.
- weigh up points and reach a judgement.
Key terms
Calculations and data
Calculation: after training, a runner's resting heart rate fell from 72 bpm to 64 bpm. Calculate the percentage decrease.
Change = 72 − 64 = 8 bpm. Percentage change = change ÷ starting value × 100 = 8 ÷ 72 × 100 = 11.1% (to one decimal place).
Data question: a swimmer's heart rate was 70 bpm at rest, 165 bpm at the end of a race, and 95 bpm five minutes later. Describe and explain the pattern.
Model answer: heart rate rose from 70 to 165 bpm during the race (1), to supply more oxygen to the working muscles (1). It then fell to 95 bpm as the swimmer recovered (1).
Key terms
A 2-mark answer
Question: Explain, using an example from sport, why flexibility is important.
Model answer: Flexibility increases the range of movement at a joint (1), so a gymnast can perform the splits in a floor routine without injury (1).
The first mark is for knowledge of the idea; the second is for applying it to a sport, with a specific action.
Exam tip
Always apply your answer to the sport in the question. 'A gymnast performing the splits' earns the mark; 'gymnastics' on its own doesn't.
Key terms
A 6-mark extended response
Question: A hockey player is planning a training programme to improve her fitness. Describe the principles of training and evaluate the use of fartlek training for her. Apply your answer to hockey.
Model answer: The programme should follow . It should be specific, using running with changes of direction like in a match. She should apply by training harder than usual, and by increasing it gradually, such as adding a session every few weeks, so she improves without injury. If she stops, means her fitness will fall. suits hockey well, because its changes of pace match a match's sprints and jogs, so it improves both cardiovascular endurance and speed. However, it is hard to measure, so she may not know she is overloading. Overall, it is a good choice if she records her sessions.
Moving up the levels
The 6-mark answer is marked in three levels:
- 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.
An answer with knowledge only stays in Level 1, however much it knows. The model answer reaches Level 3 because every point is applied to hockey, and it reaches a judgement.