GCSE Physical Education Paper 2
Covers The Skeletal System, The Muscular System, The Cardiorespiratory System and Effects of Exercise and 9 more.
Questions
Question 1 [2 marks]
The Muscular System
A footballer performs a squat as part of her warm up, bending then straightening her knees.
Name the muscle found at the front of the thigh that contracts to straighten the knee during this squat, and state whether it is working as the agonist or the antagonist.
Question 2 [3 marks]
Movement Analysis: Levers, Planes and Axes
A PE student performs a star jump, moving her arms and legs out to the sides and then back in again.
Name the plane and axis this movement takes place in, and name the joint action occurring at the hip and shoulder as the limbs move outward.
Question 3 [3 marks]
Socio-cultural Influences on Participation
A national governing body launches a free campaign encouraging more women to take part in grassroots sport, using relatable everyday role models.
State two barriers to participation this type of campaign is designed to address, and give a reason for one of them.
Question 4 [3 marks]
Principles of Training and Injury Prevention
Before starting a new exercise class, a gym asks every new member to complete a short health questionnaire.
Name this type of questionnaire, and state two reasons why completing it before exercise helps to prevent injury.
Question 5 [4 marks]
The Cardiorespiratory System and Effects of Exercise
Deoxygenated blood returning from the body arrives at the heart before being sent on to the lungs.
Name the chamber that deoxygenated blood first enters and the vessel it arrives through, then name the chamber it is pumped from towards the lungs and the vessel that carries it there.
Question 6 [4 marks]
The Skeletal System
The skeleton contains fixed, slightly movable and freely movable joints.
Name the joint classification found at the skull, at the vertebrae of the spine, and at the shoulder, and give one reason why the skull's joints being fixed is important.
Question 7 [4 marks]
Diet, Nutrition and Hydration for Performance
Immediately after a heavy weight training session, a rugby player eats a meal containing both carbohydrate and protein.
Explain why eating carbohydrate and protein together soon after training could benefit his recovery.
Question 8 [4 marks]
Training Methods and Fitness Testing Data
Five players record these vertical jump heights, in cm, during a testing session: 38, 45, 41, 52, 43.
Arrange the data in order and identify the median jump height, then explain one reason a coach might prefer to use the median rather than the mean for this data set.
Question 9 [4 marks]
The Muscular System
A marathon runner and a 100 m sprinter both have well developed leg muscles, but the muscle fibres they rely on most are different.
Compare one characteristic of slow twitch muscle fibres with one characteristic of fast twitch muscle fibres, and explain why each athlete relies more on one type.
Question 10 [5 marks]
Components of Fitness
In a 100 m race, sprinters must respond to the starting gun as quickly as possible before then running at their maximum pace to the finish line.
Identify the two skill-related components of fitness required at the start and during the race, define each one, and explain the difference between them.
Question 11 [6 marks]
Health, Fitness and Well-being
A student is 1.75 m tall and has a mass of 82 kg. Body mass index (BMI) is calculated using BMI = mass in kg / (height in m)^2.
Calculate the student's BMI to 1 decimal place, state which BMI category this places him in, and explain why this classification may be misleading if he is a very muscular rugby player.
Question 12 [6 marks]
Classification of Skill and Guidance
A beginner is learning a golf swing, a skill that is high in organisation and cannot easily be broken down into separate parts for practice.
Explain what types of guidance and feedback would best suit this beginner, given that the skill cannot easily be part-practised.
Question 13 [6 marks]
Arousal, Goal Setting and Mental Preparation
A county level swimmer often sets herself only outcome goals, such as finishing first, and becomes very anxious before races she is not certain she can win.
Explain the difference between outcome goals and performance goals, and evaluate why encouraging her to set more performance goals could reduce her pre-race anxiety.
Question 14 [6 marks]
Diet, Nutrition and Hydration for Performance
A weightlifter is considering taking a creatine supplement to help improve his performance in short, powerful lifts.
Explain how creatine supplementation is thought to benefit performance in short, powerful efforts, and explain one possible drawback of taking it.
Model solutions
| Question 1[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| quadriceps | B1 |
| agonist (prime mover) | B1 |
| Final answer: Quadriceps, working as the agonist | |
| Question 2[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the frontal plane | B1 |
| the sagittal axis | B1 |
| abduction, occurring at both the hip and shoulder as the limbs move outward | B1 |
| Final answer: Frontal plane, sagittal axis; abduction at the hip and shoulder | |
| Question 3[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct barrier, e.g. lack of confidence or fear of judgement about appearance/ability | B1 |
| a further correct barrier, e.g. a lack of awareness of opportunities available locally | B1 |
| a correct reason for one barrier, e.g. showing ordinary women taking part can reduce the fear of being judged, making participation feel more achievable | B1 |
| Final answer: Barriers such as lack of confidence and lack of awareness of local opportunities; showing relatable role models reduces the fear of judgement | |
| Question 4[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a PAR-Q (physical activity readiness questionnaire) | B1 |
| a correct reason, e.g. it identifies any existing medical conditions or injuries that could make certain types of exercise unsafe | B1 |
| a correct reason, e.g. it allows the instructor to adapt or avoid exercises that could be risky for that individual | B1 |
| Final answer: A PAR-Q; it identifies medical conditions or injury risks so exercise can be adapted or avoided where necessary | |
| Question 5[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| right atrium | B1 |
| vena cava | B1 |
| right ventricle | B1 |
| pulmonary artery | B1 |
| Final answer: Right atrium (via the vena cava), then right ventricle (via the pulmonary artery to the lungs) | |
| Question 6[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| fibrous joint at the skull (sutures) | B1 |
| cartilaginous joint between the vertebrae | B1 |
| synovial joint at the shoulder | B1 |
| a correct reason, e.g. the skull's fixed joints protect the brain by preventing movement of the skull bones | B1 |
| Final answer: Fibrous (skull), cartilaginous (vertebrae), synovial (shoulder); fixed skull joints protect the brain | |
| Question 7[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct explanation for carbohydrate, e.g. it helps to quickly replenish (resynthesise) the muscle glycogen used up during the session | B1 |
| a correct explanation for protein, e.g. it provides amino acids needed to repair and rebuild the muscle tissue damaged during training | B1 |
| a correct additional detail, e.g. eating soon after training, within the body's recovery window, is thought to make this replenishment and repair more effective | B1 |
| a correct overall link, e.g. together this combination helps him recover faster and be better prepared for his next training session | B1 |
| Final answer: Carbohydrate quickly replenishes muscle glycogen while protein repairs muscle tissue; eating both soon after training supports faster recovery | |
| Question 8[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| arranging the values in order, 38, 41, 43, 45, 52 | M1 |
| identifying the median as 43 cm (the middle value) | A1 |
| a correct reason, e.g. the median is not affected by one unusually high or low value (an outlier), unlike the mean | B1 |
| a correct additional detail, e.g. if one player's score were much higher or lower than the rest, it would change the mean considerably but the median would stay the same or change very little | B1 |
| Final answer: Median = 43 cm; the median is less affected than the mean by an unusually high or low result | |
| Question 9[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| slow twitch fibres being more resistant to fatigue and suited to low intensity, long duration work | B1 |
| the marathon runner relying more on slow twitch fibres, as the event needs sustained aerobic effort over a long time | B1 |
| fast twitch fibres contracting more quickly and forcefully but fatiguing faster | B1 |
| the sprinter relying more on fast twitch fibres, as the event needs a short burst of maximum power | B1 |
| Final answer: Marathon runner: slow twitch (fatigue resistant, aerobic); sprinter: fast twitch (fast, powerful, fatigues quickly) | |
| Question 10[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| reaction time identified for the start | B1 |
| speed identified for the race itself | B1 |
| a correct definition of reaction time, e.g. the time taken to respond to a stimulus | B1 |
| a correct definition of speed, e.g. the maximum rate at which a person is able to move over a set distance | B1 |
| a correct explanation of the difference, e.g. reaction time is about how quickly the body begins to move, while speed is about how quickly it then covers the ground | B1 |
| Final answer: Reaction time (responding to the gun) and speed (covering the distance); reaction time is about starting to move quickly, speed is about how fast the body then travels | |
| Question 11[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| squaring the height, 1.75^2 = 3.0625 | M1 |
| dividing mass by this value, 82 / 3.0625 | M1 |
| BMI = 26.8 (1 decimal place) | A1 |
| correctly identifying this as the overweight category | B1 |
| a correct explanation of why this could be misleading, e.g. muscle is denser and heavier than fat, so a muscular person can have a high BMI without having excess body fat | B1 |
| a correct alternative measure that could give a fairer picture, e.g. body fat percentage or waist-to-hip ratio | B1 |
| Final answer: BMI = 26.8 (overweight category); this may be misleading for a muscular rugby player, since muscle adds weight without adding fat, and body fat percentage would give a fairer picture | |
| Question 12[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| visual guidance identified, e.g. demonstrating the whole swing so the beginner can see and copy the complete movement | B1 |
| a correct reason, e.g. since the skill cannot easily be broken into parts, seeing the whole action modelled correctly is especially valuable | B1 |
| manual guidance also being useful, e.g. physically guiding the beginner's arms through the correct swing path | B1 |
| a correct reason, e.g. this can give a feel for the whole movement without the beginner having to break it into parts themselves | B1 |
| extrinsic feedback and knowledge of results identified as most useful early on, e.g. telling the beginner simply whether the swing sent the ball roughly where intended | B1 |
| a correct overall link, e.g. because the skill must largely be learned and practised as one whole unit, guidance and feedback should focus on the complete action rather than isolated parts | B1 |
| Final answer: Visual guidance (demonstrating the whole swing) and manual guidance (guiding the arms through it), together with simple extrinsic knowledge of results feedback, all suit a beginner who must learn this highly organised skill as one whole unit | |
| Question 13[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| outcome goals being based on the result of a competition, e.g. winning or beating an opponent | B1 |
| performance goals being based on the swimmer's own standards or times, independent of what other competitors do | B1 |
| a correct explanation of the problem with outcome goals here, e.g. winning depends partly on factors outside her control, such as how well her opponents perform | B1 |
| a correct explanation of why this raises anxiety, e.g. focusing on an uncertain result she cannot fully control increases pressure and worry before the race | B1 |
| a correct benefit of performance goals, e.g. she has full control over her own times/technique, so success feels more achievable and within her control | B1 |
| a correct overall evaluation, e.g. performance goals are likely to reduce her anxiety by shifting her focus onto controllable, personal targets, though outcome goals may still have some motivational value for very important races | B1 |
| Final answer: Outcome goals depend on beating others and are largely outside her control, raising anxiety; performance goals depend only on her own standards and are more controllable, which should reduce pre-race anxiety | |
| Question 14[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct explanation, e.g. creatine increases the amount of phosphocreatine stored in the muscles | B1 |
| a correct link to ATP, e.g. phosphocreatine is used to quickly resynthesise ATP, the muscle's immediate energy source, during short, powerful efforts | B1 |
| a correct benefit, e.g. this can allow slightly more repetitions or power to be produced before fatigue sets in during activities like weightlifting | B1 |
| a correct limitation, e.g. it is of little benefit to endurance events, since its effect is mainly on short, high-intensity efforts | B1 |
| a correct drawback, e.g. it is commonly associated with water retention and a resulting increase in body mass | B1 |
| a correct additional consideration, e.g. this added body mass could be a disadvantage in a sport where being lighter is beneficial | B1 |
| Final answer: Creatine increases stored phosphocreatine, helping resynthesise ATP faster during short, powerful efforts; a common drawback is water retention and an increase in body mass, and it offers little benefit for endurance events | |