Year 11 Paper 1: Psychology, Health and Society
Covers skill classification, arousal and mental preparation, health and well-being, diet and nutrition, socio-cultural influences on participation, and the muscular system.
Year 11 here means a typical teaching order, not a syllabus rule. No exam board defines what belongs to Year 11, 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 [3 marks]
Diet, Nutrition and Hydration for Performance
A PE teacher explains that a healthy diet is not just about eating enough food, but about eating the right balance of nutrients.
Name three of the components that should be present, in the correct proportions, in a balanced diet.
Question 2 [3 marks]
Health, Fitness and Well-being
A PE teacher tells her class that being fit and healthy is about more than just doing sport twice a week.
State three factors, other than participation in sport, that together make up a balanced, healthy, active lifestyle.
Question 3 [3 marks]
Socio-cultural Influences on Participation
A national newspaper gives far more coverage to men's football than to women's football.
Explain how a lack of media coverage could affect participation in women's football.
Question 4 [3 marks]
The Muscular System
A PE student performs a star jump, raising both arms out to the side and up above her head.
Name the muscle at the shoulder that contracts to raise the arms sideways in this way, state whether it is working as the agonist or antagonist, and name the joint action taking place.
Question 5 [4 marks]
Classification of Skill and Guidance
An experienced golfer is shown a slow-motion video replay of her swing, alongside a professional's swing, to help her spot small technical differences.
Identify the type of guidance being used, and explain why it is well suited to this experienced performer.
Question 6 [4 marks]
Arousal, Goal Setting and Mental Preparation
A rugby player finds that her performance in tackling drills is best when she feels a moderate level of nervous energy before training, rather than feeling either completely relaxed or extremely anxious.
Using the inverted U theory, explain why her performance is best at a moderate level of arousal, and explain what tends to happen to her performance at very low arousal.
Question 7 [4 marks]
Socio-cultural Influences on Participation
England Athletics, the national governing body for athletics, funds coaching courses and grassroots club development across the country.
Identify two roles a national governing body plays in trying to increase participation in a sport, using this example.
Question 8 [4 marks]
Classification of Skill and Guidance
A trampolining coach wants a complete beginner to learn a basic seat drop safely.
State which type of guidance would be most appropriate for this beginner, and explain two reasons for your choice.
Question 9 [4 marks]
Socio-cultural Influences on Participation
Cricket's shortest format, T20, was introduced partly to fit matches into a single evening and attract larger television audiences, unlike a five-day test match.
Explain why commercialisation and the demands of television audiences can lead to changes in the rules or format of a sport, using T20 cricket as your example.
Question 10 [5 marks]
Arousal, Goal Setting and Mental Preparation
A coach sets a beginner swimmer the goal: swim the 1500 m freestyle in under 16 minutes by next week.
Explain why this goal is poorly set, referring to the SMART principle, and explain the likely effect on the swimmer's motivation if she is expected to work towards it.
Question 11 [5 marks]
Classification of Skill and Guidance
A badminton serve has fairly separate parts (grip, backswing, contact), while a badminton smash flows as one fast, continuous action.
Using the low/high organisation continuum, recommend whether each skill should be taught using the whole or the part method, and justify each choice.
Question 12 [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 13 [6 marks]
The Muscular System
A long jumper drives explosively from the take-off board, extending fully at the hip, knee and ankle to generate maximum lift.
Identify the muscle acting as the agonist at the hip, at the knee and at the ankle during this extension, and explain why fast twitch muscle fibres are especially important in these muscles for the take-off.
Question 14 [6 marks]
Classification of Skill and Guidance
A swimming club runs one session with both complete beginners and advanced club swimmers training side by side.
Explain how the guidance and feedback given to the beginners should differ from that given to the advanced swimmers in the same session.
Model solutions
| Question 1[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct component, e.g. carbohydrate | B1 |
| a correct component, e.g. protein or fat | B1 |
| a correct component, e.g. vitamins, minerals, fibre or water | B1 |
| Final answer: Any three of: carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water, in the correct proportions | |
| Question 2[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct factor, e.g. a balanced diet providing the right nutrients | B1 |
| a correct factor, e.g. enough good quality sleep for recovery | B1 |
| a correct factor, e.g. avoiding negative choices such as smoking, excessive alcohol or recreational drug use | B1 |
| Final answer: Any three of: a balanced diet, enough good quality sleep, and avoiding negative choices such as smoking, alcohol or drug use | |
| Question 3[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| less media coverage meaning fewer role models are visible to inspire young girls to take up the sport | B1 |
| less coverage also meaning less sponsorship, as sponsors want their brand seen by a large audience | B1 |
| a correct overall link, e.g. reduced funding and visibility together can limit facilities, opportunities and interest, lowering participation | B1 |
| Final answer: Less coverage reduces visible role models and sponsorship, which can lower participation over time | |
| Question 4[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| deltoids | B1 |
| agonist (prime mover) | B1 |
| abduction at the shoulder | B1 |
| Final answer: Deltoids, working as the agonist to cause abduction | |
| Question 5[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| visual guidance | B1 |
| a correct explanation, e.g. it allows the performer to see and compare the correct technique in detail | B1 |
| correctly linking this to experience, e.g. experienced performers can already produce the basic movement, so detailed visual feedback helps them refine small technical points | B1 |
| a correct additional detail, e.g. slow motion or video allows aspects too fast to see in real time to be analysed | B1 |
| Final answer: Visual guidance - suits an experienced performer refining fine technical detail | |
| Question 6[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the inverted U theory stating that performance improves as arousal rises, up to an optimum (moderate) point | B1 |
| a correct explanation, e.g. at this optimum point she is alert and ready to perform without being overwhelmed by nerves | B1 |
| a correct explanation of very low arousal, e.g. at very low arousal she may lack focus, motivation or energy to perform at her best | B1 |
| a correct overall summary, e.g. performance is worse at both very low and very high arousal, peaking somewhere in between | B1 |
| Final answer: Performance peaks at a moderate, optimum level of arousal (inverted U theory); at very low arousal she lacks focus/energy, so performance is also reduced | |
| Question 7[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct role, e.g. funding and supporting grassroots clubs so more people have somewhere local to take part | B1 |
| a correct additional detail, e.g. this can improve the quality and availability of sessions at a local level | B1 |
| a correct role, e.g. running or funding coaching qualifications, increasing the number of qualified coaches available | B1 |
| a correct additional detail, e.g. more/better coaches can improve the experience for beginners, encouraging them to continue | B1 |
| Final answer: Funding grassroots clubs and running coaching qualifications, both increasing the quality and availability of local opportunities to take part | |
| Question 8[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| manual (or mechanical) guidance | B1 |
| a correct reason, e.g. physically supporting the beginner reduces the risk of injury while learning a new and potentially dangerous skill | B1 |
| a second correct reason, e.g. it helps the beginner get a feel for the correct movement pattern before trying it alone | B1 |
| correctly linking the choice to the beginner's skill level, e.g. beginners benefit most from this guidance as they have little experience to draw on | B1 |
| Final answer: Manual guidance - keeps the beginner safe and gives a feel for the movement while she has no prior experience | |
| Question 9[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct explanation of the commercial pressure, e.g. broadcasters want a format that fits into a set time slot and holds a large television audience's attention | B1 |
| a correct link to T20, e.g. a three hour match is far easier to schedule and broadcast than a five day test match | B1 |
| a correct additional detail, e.g. a shorter, faster format is also seen as more exciting/accessible for casual viewers and new fans | B1 |
| a correct overall link, e.g. this shows how a sport's own traditional format can be adapted to meet the commercial needs of broadcasters and sponsors | B1 |
| Final answer: T20's short format fits a single broadcast slot and holds a wide audience's attention far better than a five day test, showing how commercial and TV pressures can reshape a sport's rules and format | |
| Question 10[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct problem identified, e.g. the goal is not realistic/achievable for a beginner, being far beyond her current standard | B1 |
| a correct problem identified, e.g. the time-frame (one week) is far too short to make such a large improvement | B1 |
| a correct explanation of the likely effect, e.g. failing to get anywhere near the target is likely to be demotivating rather than encouraging | B1 |
| a correct further explanation, e.g. this could reduce her confidence and enjoyment of swimming rather than building it | B1 |
| a correct suggestion for improvement, e.g. the goal should instead be broken into smaller, more realistic short-term targets over a longer time-frame | B1 |
| Final answer: The goal is unrealistic and set over far too short a time-frame for a beginner; expecting her to reach it is likely to demotivate and discourage her rather than help - smaller, more realistic short-term targets would be more effective | |
| Question 11[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the serve being lower in organisation, since its parts can be separated without losing much of the skill's meaning | B1 |
| recommending the part method for the serve, e.g. practising the grip, backswing and contact separately before combining them | B1 |
| the smash being higher in organisation, since its actions flow together very quickly and closely depend on each other | B1 |
| recommending the whole method for the smash, e.g. breaking it into parts would lose the timing and flow needed to hit it powerfully | B1 |
| a correct overall link, e.g. the more separable a skill's parts are, the more suited it is to part practice | B1 |
| Final answer: The serve is lower in organisation and suits the part method (practising grip, backswing and contact separately); the smash is higher in organisation and suits the whole method, since breaking it up would lose its flow and timing | |
| Question 12[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 13[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| gluteals (gluteus maximus) as the agonist at the hip, extending it | B1 |
| quadriceps as the agonist at the knee, extending it | B1 |
| gastrocnemius as the agonist at the ankle, causing plantarflexion | B1 |
| a correct explanation of why fast twitch fibres matter, e.g. they contract quickly and forcefully, generating the power needed for the movement | B1 |
| a correct link to the event, e.g. take-off lasts a very short time, so fibres that fatigue quickly are not a disadvantage here | B1 |
| a correct overall link, e.g. all three muscles must contract together, powerfully and quickly, to convert the horizontal speed of the run-up into the vertical lift needed at take-off | B1 |
| Final answer: Gluteals (hip), quadriceps (knee) and gastrocnemius (ankle) all act as agonists, extending fully; fast twitch fibres in each give the fast, powerful contraction needed for the short, explosive take-off | |
| Question 14[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| manual or mechanical guidance, e.g. a coach's support or a float, suiting the beginners | B1 |
| a correct reason, e.g. beginners need physical support and safety while they have little feel for the correct movement | B1 |
| visual guidance, e.g. video analysis, suiting the advanced swimmers instead | B1 |
| a correct reason, e.g. they can already perform the stroke and benefit more from seeing fine technical detail to refine | B1 |
| extrinsic feedback and knowledge of results suiting the beginners, e.g. simply confirming whether they completed the length correctly | B1 |
| a correct explanation of the advanced group instead relying more on intrinsic feedback and detailed knowledge of performance, since they can already feel and interpret much of their own technique | B1 |
| Final answer: Beginners need manual/mechanical guidance and simple extrinsic knowledge of results; advanced swimmers benefit more from visual guidance and detailed, intrinsic knowledge of performance, since they can already perform and judge the stroke | |