Year 11 Paper 5: Fitness, Diet and Mental Preparation
Covers the cardiorespiratory system, components of fitness and fitness testing data, mental preparation, diet and nutrition, and socio-cultural influences on participation.
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 [2 marks]
Components of Fitness
A powerlifter attempts to lift the heaviest possible barbell for a single deadlift repetition.
Name the health-related component of fitness most needed for this lift, and give its definition.
Question 2 [2 marks]
Arousal, Goal Setting and Mental Preparation
Before a big match, a goalkeeper feels her heart racing and her muscles tensing.
Define arousal, and state whether the goalkeeper's arousal level appears to be high or low.
Question 3 [2 marks]
The Cardiorespiratory System and Effects of Exercise
Oxygenated blood arrives at the heart from the lungs before being pumped out to the rest of the body.
Name the two chambers on the left side of the heart that this oxygenated blood passes through.
Question 4 [2 marks]
Arousal, Goal Setting and Mental Preparation
A tennis player returning a serve fixes her attention only on the ball as it leaves her opponent's racket, ignoring the crowd and the scoreboard.
Define concentration, and state why narrowing her focus in this way could help her return the serve.
Question 5 [3 marks]
Diet, Nutrition and Hydration for Performance
A tennis player is reminded to drink water regularly throughout a long match played in warm conditions.
State two functions of water in the body that are especially important during exercise.
Question 6 [3 marks]
Training Methods and Fitness Testing Data
A cross country squad completes the Cooper 12-minute run test at the start of the season.
Identify the component of fitness being tested, and describe how the test is carried out.
Question 7 [4 marks]
Socio-cultural Influences on Participation
A major broadcaster pays a large sum of money for the exclusive rights to show a national sports league on television.
Explain the relationship between sponsorship, the media and a sport, using this example.
Question 8 [4 marks]
Diet, Nutrition and Hydration for Performance
A gymnast trains indoors for most of the year and gets very little exposure to sunlight.
Explain the role of vitamin D in supporting bone health, and explain why her limited sunlight exposure could increase her risk of a stress fracture.
Question 9 [4 marks]
Components of Fitness
A weightlifter can lift a very heavy barbell slowly in a deadlift, but needs a completely different quality to lift a lighter bar explosively above her head in a clean and jerk.
Identify the components of fitness shown by these two lifts, and explain the difference between them.
Question 10 [5 marks]
Training Methods and Fitness Testing Data
A coach records the number of press-ups eight athletes complete in one minute: 32, 28, 41, 35, 30, 27, 44, 39.
Calculate the mean number of press-ups for the squad, giving your answer to 1 decimal place, and calculate the range of the data.
Question 11 [5 marks]
Socio-cultural Influences on Participation
A wheelchair basketball club struggles to find enough accessible venues and specialist coaches in its local area.
Identify two factors affecting participation for this club, and explain how each one acts as a barrier.
Question 12 [6 marks]
Training Methods and Fitness Testing Data
A volleyball coach is deciding between plyometric training and continuous training to prepare her squad's spikers for the season.
Compare plyometric training and continuous training as methods of preparing volleyball spikers, and recommend which is more appropriate, with reasons.
Question 13 [6 marks]
Socio-cultural Influences on Participation
A local authority is deciding whether to fund a new sports facility in a low income area with historically low participation rates, or to spend the same budget on a marketing campaign promoting existing facilities across the whole town.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each option, and recommend which is likely to have the greater impact on participation in the low income area specifically.
Question 14 [6 marks]
Training Methods and Fitness Testing Data
A PE department uses fitness test results to help select students for county trials, and also uses interval training with the squad once selected.
Evaluate the use of fitness test data for team selection, and explain how interval training could be structured to improve the squad's performance.
Question 15 [6 marks]
Socio-cultural Influences on Participation
A well known professional footballer is shown on television repeatedly arguing with the referee and using abusive language during a match, in a game watched by many young fans.
Discuss the potential negative effects this negative role model behaviour could have on young people who watch and admire him.
Model solutions
| Question 1[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| strength | B1 |
| a correct definition, e.g. the maximum force a muscle or muscle group can exert in a single effort | B1 |
| Final answer: Strength - the maximum force a muscle group can exert in one maximal effort | |
| Question 2[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct definition of arousal, e.g. a state of mental and physical alertness or readiness to perform | B1 |
| high arousal | B1 |
| Final answer: Arousal - a state of mental/physical readiness to perform; her arousal level is high | |
| Question 3[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| left atrium | B1 |
| left ventricle | B1 |
| Final answer: Left atrium and left ventricle | |
| Question 4[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct definition, e.g. the ability to focus on the relevant cues in the environment while ignoring distractions | B1 |
| a correct reason, e.g. focusing only on the ball gives her the best chance of reacting to it in time, without being distracted by irrelevant information | B1 |
| Final answer: Concentration - focusing on relevant cues while ignoring distractions; focusing only on the ball maximises her chance of reacting to it in time | |
| Question 5[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct function, e.g. regulating body temperature, such as through sweating | B1 |
| a correct function, e.g. transporting nutrients and oxygen around the body in the blood | B1 |
| a correct function, e.g. lubricating joints, helping them move smoothly | B1 |
| Final answer: Any two of: regulating body temperature, transporting nutrients/oxygen in the blood, lubricating joints | |
| Question 6[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| cardiovascular fitness (aerobic endurance) | B1 |
| the performer running (or walking, if needed) as far as possible in exactly 12 minutes | B1 |
| the total distance covered in that time being recorded as the score | B1 |
| Final answer: Tests cardiovascular fitness; the performer covers as much distance as possible in 12 minutes, and the distance is the score | |
| Question 7[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the broadcaster (media) paying for TV rights, generating income for the sport or league | B1 |
| the larger audience this creates making the sport more attractive to sponsors, who want their brand seen by many viewers | B1 |
| sponsors then paying the sport, teams or athletes for exposure, generating further income | B1 |
| a correct overall link, e.g. this relationship is often called the golden triangle, where sponsorship, the media and the sport rely on and benefit from each other | B1 |
| Final answer: Media coverage attracts sponsors and generates income, and sponsors rely on the audience the media creates - the golden triangle relationship | |
| Question 8[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct role, e.g. vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium from the diet | B1 |
| a correct additional detail, e.g. calcium is needed to keep bones strong and dense | B1 |
| a correct explanation of the sunlight link, e.g. the body produces much of its vitamin D through exposure to sunlight on the skin | B1 |
| a correct overall link, e.g. limited sunlight could reduce her vitamin D levels, reducing calcium absorption and weakening her bones, raising the risk of a stress fracture | B1 |
| Final answer: Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium for strong bones; limited sunlight could lower her vitamin D, reducing calcium absorption and raising her stress fracture risk | |
| Question 9[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| strength identified for the deadlift | B1 |
| power identified for the clean and jerk | B1 |
| a correct definition of strength, e.g. the maximum force a muscle can exert in one effort, regardless of speed | B1 |
| a correct definition/distinction for power, e.g. power combines strength and speed, so it is the ability to exert force quickly | B1 |
| Final answer: Strength (deadlift) is maximum force regardless of speed; power (clean and jerk) is strength combined with speed | |
| Question 10[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| adding the eight values, total = 276 | M1 |
| dividing the total by 8 | M1 |
| mean = 34.5 press-ups | A1 |
| finding highest minus lowest, 44 - 27 | M1 |
| range = 17 press-ups | A1 |
| Final answer: Mean = 34.5 press-ups; range = 17 press-ups | |
| Question 11[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| access to facilities identified as a factor | B1 |
| a correct explanation, e.g. without enough wheelchair-accessible venues, the club cannot easily find places to train or play matches | B1 |
| provision of specialist coaching identified as a factor | B1 |
| a correct explanation, e.g. without coaches trained in adapted/disability sport, the quality and availability of sessions is limited | B1 |
| a correct overall link, e.g. together these barriers can restrict how often the club can train and how many new members it can take on | B1 |
| Final answer: Facility access and specialist coaching provision, both limiting how often and how well the club can operate | |
| Question 12[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| plyometric training involving explosive, powerful movements such as bounding or jumping | B1 |
| continuous training involving working at a steady, moderate pace without rest for a sustained period | B1 |
| a correct advantage of plyometric training, e.g. it closely replicates the powerful, explosive jumping action needed to spike the ball | B1 |
| a correct advantage of continuous training, e.g. it is simpler to plan and builds the aerobic base needed to last a long match | B1 |
| a recommendation made, e.g. plyometric training | B1 |
| correct justification, e.g. because spiking depends mainly on short, explosive power rather than sustained aerobic effort, so plyometric training more closely matches the specific demand of the skill | B1 |
| Final answer: Plyometric training is more appropriate, since a spike depends on short, explosive power, which plyometric training targets far more specifically than steady continuous training | |
| Question 13[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct advantage of a new facility, e.g. it directly removes an access barrier by providing somewhere nearby to take part | B1 |
| a correct disadvantage of a new facility, e.g. building and running a facility is expensive and can take a long time before it is ready to use | B1 |
| a correct advantage of a marketing campaign, e.g. it is generally cheaper and can raise awareness of opportunities that already exist more quickly | B1 |
| a correct disadvantage of a marketing campaign, e.g. it does not remove other barriers, such as cost of use or a genuine lack of nearby provision | B1 |
| a recommendation made, e.g. the new facility | B1 |
| correct justification for the recommendation, e.g. because in a low income area with historically low participation, a lack of local, affordable provision is likely to be the bigger barrier, which marketing alone cannot solve | B1 |
| Final answer: A new facility is likely to have the greater impact in this specific area, since it removes the access barrier that a marketing campaign alone could not solve, even though it costs and takes longer to deliver | |
| Question 14[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| fitness tests giving quick, objective data that can compare performers and track progress over time | B1 |
| a limitation, e.g. many tests are not sport specific and do not measure skill, so may not fully predict match performance | B1 |
| a further limitation, e.g. results can be affected by motivation, practice effect or how the test is administered | B1 |
| interval training alternating periods of high intensity work with periods of rest or lower intensity recovery | B1 |
| correct application, e.g. the work and rest periods and the number of repetitions can be manipulated (FITT) to target aerobic or anaerobic fitness depending on the squad's needs | B1 |
| an overall judgement linking data use and training design, e.g. test data should be used alongside match observation rather than alone, and training then planned around the weaknesses testing identifies | B1 |
| Final answer: Fitness data is useful but limited (not sport-specific, affected by motivation/reliability); interval training alternates work and rest, structured with FITT to target the squad's needs | |
| Question 15[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a correct effect, e.g. young fans may copy or normalise this poor behaviour in their own games, believing it is an acceptable way to react | B1 |
| a correct explanation, e.g. children often look up to and imitate professional athletes they admire, especially ones who are highly visible in the media | B1 |
| a correct further effect, e.g. it could damage the wider image and reputation of the sport itself, not just the individual player | B1 |
| a correct additional effect, e.g. it could also set a poor example around respecting officials, which is important for good discipline in grassroots sport | B1 |
| a correct balancing point, e.g. not every young fan will necessarily copy the behaviour, and some clubs/coaches actively challenge it when it is seen | B1 |
| a correct overall discussion, e.g. because young people are still forming their own attitudes to sport, negative role models are a particular concern, even though good coaching and education can help reduce the impact | B1 |
| Final answer: Young fans may imitate or normalise the poor behaviour, and it can damage the sport's wider image and respect for officials, though good coaching and education can help limit the impact | |