Year 10 Paper 3: Skeleton, Circulation and Training Methods
Covers the skeletal system, the cardiorespiratory system, movement analysis, and how training is planned and tested using fitness data.
Year 10 here means a typical teaching order, not a syllabus rule. No exam board defines what belongs to Year 10, and schools sequence the course differently. Check it against your own scheme of work before using it to decide what a class has covered.
Questions
Question 1 [2 marks]
Movement Analysis: Levers, Planes and Axes
A diver performs a forward somersault, rotating head over heels.
Name the plane and the axis of rotation used during this somersault.
Question 2 [2 marks]
The Cardiorespiratory System and Effects of Exercise
Blood travels from the heart to the lungs and back again before being pumped around the body.
Name the blood vessel that carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs, and the blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood from the lungs back to the heart.
Question 3 [2 marks]
Principles of Training and Injury Prevention
A coach designs a training programme using the FITT principle.
State what the letters F and I stand for in FITT.
Question 4 [3 marks]
The Skeletal System
A rugby player is tackled and lands heavily on his shoulder.
State three functions of the skeletal system that are important to this rugby player.
Question 5 [4 marks]
Training Methods and Fitness Testing Data
A rugby squad follows a weight (resistance) training programme in the gym during pre-season, lifting free weights and using machines.
State two advantages and one disadvantage of weight training as a method of improving fitness.
Question 6 [4 marks]
Movement Analysis: Levers, Planes and Axes
A discus thrower spins on the spot before releasing the discus, turning through more than one full rotation while staying upright.
Name the plane and axis used for this spinning movement, and identify one other joint action being used at the shoulder as the discus thrower releases the discus.
Question 7 [4 marks]
Principles of Training and Injury Prevention
A 15 year old hockey player wants to train aerobically. Maximum heart rate can be estimated using 220 minus age.
Calculate her estimated maximum heart rate, then calculate the lower boundary of her aerobic training zone, which is 60% of her maximum heart rate.
Question 8 [5 marks]
Movement Analysis: Levers, Planes and Axes
A trampolinist performs a skill combining a forward somersault with a half twist of her body, all within one movement.
Identify the plane and axis used for the somersaulting part of this skill, and identify the plane and axis used for the twisting part.
Question 9 [4 marks]
Principles of Training and Injury Prevention
A cyclist trains hard six days a week but notices his performance has started to decline rather than improve.
Explain the role of rest and recovery in a training programme, and suggest why training without enough rest could explain his declining performance.
Question 10 [4 marks]
Movement Analysis: Levers, Planes and Axes
A basketball player performs a spin move, rotating a full 360 degrees on the spot to get past a defender.
Name the plane and axis used for this spin, and name the joint action taking place at the hip as her leading leg rotates around.
Question 11 [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 12 [4 marks]
The Cardiorespiratory System and Effects of Exercise
During a hard training run, more blood needs to reach a runner's leg muscles, while less is needed by her digestive system.
Explain, using the term vascular shunt, how blood flow is redirected towards the working muscles during exercise.
Question 13 [6 marks]
Movement Analysis: Levers, Planes and Axes
A javelin thrower uses a whip-like action through her shoulder and elbow to accelerate the javelin just before release, while her planted front leg acts almost like a rigid pivot.
Explain, using the terms fulcrum, effort and load, how a first class lever system could describe the action of the neck extending the head, and explain one way this class of lever differs from the third class lever used at the elbow during the throw.
Question 14 [6 marks]
The Cardiorespiratory System and Effects of Exercise
As soon as a hockey player begins a match, her heart rate, breathing rate and breathing depth all begin to rise within seconds, well before her muscles could have made any long-term adaptations.
Explain the short-term effects that starting exercise has on her cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and why these responses happen.
Question 15 [6 marks]
Movement Analysis: Levers, Planes and Axes
A high jumper uses the Fosbury flop technique, curving her run-up before taking off, arching her back as she clears the bar, and rotating to land on her shoulders.
Identify the plane and axis mainly used as she arches her back over the bar, and explain how the curved run-up contributes to the rotation needed to go over the bar backwards.
Model solutions
| Question 1[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the sagittal plane | B1 |
| the transverse axis | B1 |
| Final answer: Sagittal plane, transverse axis | |
| Question 2[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| pulmonary artery (heart to lungs) | B1 |
| pulmonary vein (lungs to heart) | B1 |
| Final answer: Pulmonary artery (heart to lungs); pulmonary vein (lungs to heart) | |
| Question 3[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| F = frequency (how often training takes place) | B1 |
| I = intensity (how hard the training is) | B1 |
| Final answer: F = frequency, I = intensity | |
| Question 4[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| support, e.g. holding the body upright and maintaining posture | B1 |
| protection, e.g. protecting organs such as the lungs from the impact | B1 |
| movement, e.g. providing attachment points for muscles so joints can move (accept blood cell production or mineral storage) | B1 |
| Final answer: Any three of: support, protection, movement (muscle attachment), blood cell production, mineral storage | |
| Question 5[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct advantage, e.g. it can be targeted at specific muscle groups relevant to the sport | B1 |
| a further correct advantage, e.g. the resistance/intensity can be precisely adjusted and progressively increased | B1 |
| a correct disadvantage, e.g. it requires access to equipment/a gym, which may not always be available | B1 |
| a further valid detail supporting the disadvantage, e.g. incorrect technique with free weights carries a risk of injury | B1 |
| Final answer: Advantages: targeted, easily adjustable resistance; disadvantage: needs equipment/access and carries an injury risk if technique is poor | |
| Question 6[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the transverse plane | B1 |
| the longitudinal axis | B1 |
| a valid shoulder joint action at release, e.g. horizontal flexion (adduction) or extension | B1 |
| a clear link between the joint action named and the release action described | B1 |
| Final answer: Transverse plane, longitudinal axis; horizontal flexion or extension at the shoulder on release | |
| Question 7[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| maximum heart rate = 220 - 15 | M1 |
| 205 beats per minute | A1 |
| 60% of 205 | M1 |
| 123 beats per minute | A1 |
| Final answer: Maximum heart rate = 205 bpm; lower training zone boundary = 123 bpm | |
| Question 8[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the sagittal plane (somersault) | B1 |
| the transverse axis (somersault) | B1 |
| the transverse plane (twist) | B1 |
| the longitudinal axis (twist) | B1 |
| a correct additional detail, e.g. the two rotations happen around different axes at around the same time, showing a single skill can combine more than one plane and axis | B1 |
| Final answer: Somersault: sagittal plane, transverse axis; twist: transverse plane, longitudinal axis - both occurring together in the one skill | |
| Question 9[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct explanation of rest and recovery, e.g. the body adapts and gets fitter during periods of rest after training, not during the training itself | B1 |
| a correct reason, e.g. without enough recovery time between sessions, the body cannot fully repair and adapt before the next training load | B1 |
| a correct link to overtraining, e.g. this can lead to overtraining, where performance actually declines rather than improves | B1 |
| a correct additional detail, e.g. this may also increase his risk of injury or illness, as the body remains fatigued | B1 |
| Final answer: Adaptation happens during rest, not training itself; too little rest can lead to overtraining, explaining his declining performance and greater injury risk | |
| Question 10[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the transverse plane | B1 |
| the longitudinal axis | B1 |
| rotation (medial or lateral rotation) at the hip | B1 |
| a correct additional detail, e.g. this rotation lets her turn her body to face a new direction while keeping the ball under close control | B1 |
| Final answer: Transverse plane, longitudinal axis; rotation at the hip | |
| Question 11[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 12[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| vasodilation of the arterioles supplying the working muscles, widening them to allow more blood flow | B1 |
| vasoconstriction of the arterioles supplying areas such as the digestive system, narrowing them to reduce blood flow there | B1 |
| this redistribution of blood flow being known as the vascular shunt mechanism | B1 |
| a correct explanation of the benefit, e.g. this ensures the working muscles receive more oxygenated blood to meet their increased demand during exercise | B1 |
| Final answer: Vasodilation increases blood flow to the working muscles while vasoconstriction reduces it to areas such as the digestive system - the vascular shunt mechanism | |
| Question 13[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the fulcrum being the joint between the skull and the top of the spine, acting as the pivot | B1 |
| the effort being applied by the neck muscles | B1 |
| the load being the weight of the head (and helmet, if worn) | B1 |
| stating that in a first class lever the fulcrum lies between the effort and the load | B1 |
| stating that in a third class lever the effort lies between the fulcrum and the load | B1 |
| a correct comparison, e.g. a first class lever can be arranged for either force or speed depending on where the fulcrum sits, whereas a third class lever, like most joints in the body, is always arranged for speed and range of movement rather than force | B1 |
| Final answer: Fulcrum = top of the neck; effort = neck muscles; load = weight of the head; in a first class lever the fulcrum lies between effort and load, unlike the third class lever at the elbow, where the effort lies between the fulcrum and the load | |
| Question 14[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| heart rate increasing rapidly at the start of exercise | B1 |
| stroke volume also increasing, so cardiac output rises considerably | B1 |
| a correct reason for these changes, e.g. the working muscles need more oxygen delivered more quickly to meet the increased demand of exercise | B1 |
| breathing rate increasing | B1 |
| breathing (tidal) depth also increasing, together raising minute ventilation | B1 |
| a correct reason for these changes, e.g. more oxygen needs to be taken in and more carbon dioxide removed as the muscles respire faster | B1 |
| Final answer: Heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output all rise quickly, along with breathing rate and depth, to meet the muscles' immediate increase in oxygen demand and carbon dioxide production | |
| Question 15[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the sagittal plane being mainly used as she arches her back | B1 |
| the transverse axis being the axis of this rotation (hyperextension of the spine) | B1 |
| a correct description of the arching action, e.g. hyperextension of the spine and hips lets her clear the bar while her centre of mass stays lower than her body | B1 |
| the curved run-up creating rotational force (angular momentum) as she runs around the curve and drives off one leg | B1 |
| a correct explanation, e.g. this rotational force carries over into the take-off, helping turn her body so her back, rather than her front, faces the bar | B1 |
| a correct overall link, e.g. without the curved approach generating this rotation, she would not turn to face away from the bar in time to arch backward over it | B1 |
| Final answer: The back arches mainly in the sagittal plane about the transverse axis; the curved run-up generates rotational force that carries into take-off, turning her body to go over the bar backwards | |