Options - GCSE PE

[BlueBelle123]

DS is year 9 and in the process of considering his options he has to choose 4, the fourth he is considering is PE, I would love to hear from those of you whose DC choice PE - in particular how good at PE do you have to be to access top grades and does if have to be in more than one sport. Plus what is the work load like.

My main concern is that the school don't get very good results last year only one person got an A, so is this because PE is especially hard to access the top grades or is it down to the teaching ( I will tactfully broach this with the teacher at options evening!)

[mummytime]

PE is an academic subject and involves quite a lot of theory, normally at least 1/2 the lessons will be theoretical rather than practical. This can sometimes explain disappointing results as students choosing it ca be great practically but struggle with the theory. There is also a need often to be involved in training younger students possibly in extra curricula time.

[bigTillyMint]

DS does PE. DD started it as an extra, then dropped it. I'd agree that there is a lot of theory and that perhaps some of the students who choose it struggle with the theory. I think that they also have to score very high in 4 practical sports to get an A/A*. If he really love PE and realises that there is also a lot of theory, then he should be OK. Unless the teaching is really poor.

[BlueBelle123]

Thanks that's really helpful but one of my concerns is that DS is a good runner and plays football but isn't about to be playing for Arsenal anytime soon! How good at sport do you have to be ie county or equivalent standard to access top grades?

[bigTillyMint]

I don't think they need to Premier League level, but there are some success criteria that they need to attain. They need to be decent at the sport to get a 10. I think they have to do at least one team sport and at least one individual - it was 4 in total but may be 3 now? I think they can be an "official" for one or maybe more? I guess it all depends on the board/syllabus.

[uggmum]

My dd did a PE GCSE last year.
She had to pick 4 sports. One of which was a team sport.
She picked horse riding and trampoline.
School organised 2 trips away and she did rock climbing and orienteering (this was the team sport)
It is very theory based. Dd said it was very biology based. She is good at science so this wasn't a problem.
She got an A which was great.

[Suffolkgirl1]

DD is currently taking gcse PE and loves it. You need to be good at sport to get a high grade but not national standard. However the new spec gcse and A levels have massively reduced the number of eligible sports. DD was intending to take A level PE but none of her sports that she is using this year are in the new A level so she cannot carry on with the subject. I would check the sports list before committing as it is very limited now, compared to the old list.

[lljkk]

Check out the exact syllabus, because we were offered 2 versions depending when DD started (she's in yr9 now). The newer version will be much more theoretical & much less practical. Offhand I think old version is 60% practical, and new version is more like 25% practical (75% theory).

[BlueBelle123]

Thanks for all your comments, very helpful!

IIjkk DS is also yr9 and the GCSE will be 40% practical and 60% theory, although I think theory will be his strength more than the practical, DS probably wouldn't agree of course!

[Sadik]

Can't help re. the sports content, but DD has said that at her school the PE teacher recommends that those wanting to choose it also do further (ie triple) science, because of the theoretical content.

(DD not planning to take PE, but there's option block issues with PE & further science being in the same block, along with drama which she does want to take.)

[CointreauVersial]

This is DS's favourite (and best!) subject. He's in Y11. Yes, you do need to be practically assessed in more than one sport, but this includes things like circuits and SAQ (I think this stands for Strength, Agility, Quickness, or similar), in addition to the usual football, athletics etc. DS has just scored 10 in football, and he also won't be playing for Arsenal any time soon (although he does play for an elite team).

The theory side is physiology, psychology, sports management etc. Refuting slightly what Sadik says, DS's school only offer Double Science (not Triple), and yet manage to get a good set of results each year.

[bigTillyMint]

I can't believe you need to do triple science to get a good PE grade - I'm sure double would be fine

[uggmum]

My dd didn't do triple science. She did core and additional and got a A in that too.

[jeanne16]

Our school finds that pupils who do team sports such as football or netball for their assessments get marked down quite severely by the a Exam Boards as they are effectively competing against so many other very talented pupils at these sports. They have started doing things like wall climbing which seems to be less affected in the marking. So some schools try to 'play the system' in their choice of sports.

[Suffolkgirl1]

Yes, we were also told that the team sports are more difficult to get high marks in. The problem with the new spec is it is the less competitive activities, such as circuit training, that have been removed from the list. DD is doing karate, swimming - personal survival, mountain activities and rounders this year, but none of those activities are available in the new specification. The link to the new list is below.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-physical-education

[bigTillyMint]

Eeeek, Suffolkgirl! Does that mean DC starting their GCSES Sep 16? Not the ones already started this year, surely?!

[swingofthings]

DD is doing this as an additional GCSE as suggested by one PE teacher at the start of Year 11, not because she is particularly good at Sports, but because she excels in Sciences and intend to study medicine. Having looked at her mock exam, I have to say that I was really surprised how it seems to relate much more to medical sciences than to physical activity!

This means that she managed to get an A at the exam despite having started to study independendly a few months ago, whilst others who are not interested in sciences have really struggled to even get a C.

I think there is a lot of misconception about this GCSE and many kids led to believe that if they excel at sports, they will do well and feel stumble against the written exam.

[Sadik]

I wonder if that's why the comment about triple science at dd's school, swingofthings. They strongly encourage anyone with any interest in science to take triple, so I'm guessing it's not so much the content, as the pupils.

[swingofthings]

From what I recall, one question was all about the different types or muscles, extension etc... and one was about Forces, ie. which force used to jump as high as possible on a beam etc... so yes, definitely science related.

[portico]

GCSE in PE!!!! Why? Are you serious!!

[CointreauVersial]

Why not, portico?

No different from doing Art, Drama, DT, Music or any other "non-academic" subject. At GCSE stage they should still be doing a broad curriculum.

[Suffolkgirl1]

DD took it at gcse and was considering it at A level, as she is looking at physiotherapy as a career. The theory contains anatomy, diet, training techniques, assessment of fitness, sports injuries etc. It would not be good for anyone that struggles with biology but is very relevent for people looking at medical, sport or armed forces careers.

bigTillyMint - the new syllabuses are for those starting in September 16, so DD is fine for her gcse but has had to change her A level plans as she has no valid sport for next year.