GCSE PE - what do they have to do?

[tatt]

PE is compulsory but we aren't sure if the children do a GCSE in it or not. If they do will they be assessed in one or more sports or just on written work?

I did a GCSE in PE in 1992. Mine was asessed on physical modules ie/what you normally do in PE , a project which was around 20 per cent of the mark which was of our own choosing and then a huge chunk of it was human biology . It is not an easy option I know lots of people who took it who had always been really good at PE thinking it would be a singe and then got stuck on the human biology part. Luckily for me I was average at the physical stuff but good on the biology. I got an A (smug)

try this

At our school everyone in Yr10 and above still has to do some PE, but they don't do a GCSE in it. PE GCSE is a separate option. The head of PE warns everyone thinking of choosing it for GCSE that there is a lot of written work - I think it's 40-50% of the total mark. There is obviously also a lot of physical stuff too, and there's quite a lot of choice there. Some children we know have used their out-of-school activities e.g. horse-riding or swimming and been assessed on that as part of their GCSE.

Actually, that's the same here. I did choose Standard Grade (Scottish equiv.) but still had to do CORE PE, whichis what everyone else did too...no tests for that, just passed as long as you attended (which many didn't!)

my kids would handle the written stuff well enough but would probably fail if assessed on physical skills . They get by but will never win any prizes. Interesting about outside activities - but I doubt they do anything where the assessment would be vigorous enough.

Only If they choose it as an option Tatt. Which they would only do if there were interested in it/good at it/had a desire to do a job, eventually, that related to it in some way.

DS1 (Y11) is telling me about it now.. Actual GCSE PE is slightly more practical than theory, whereas Sports Studies is more theory than practical.

The theory involves learning about the human body, bones, muclses, blood vessles, joints and how they all work together. The practical invovles phases of basket ball, football, hockey approx five weeks each, with an assessment at the end of each one and also the mock and the final GCSE. DS thinks the final result is 50/50 of both practical and written work, including exams.

HTH

This is in addition to "normal PE".. so a student who chooses either GCSE PE or Sports Studies would spend approx 2 periods doing GCSE pratical, 1 period doing GCSE theory (of vice versa depending which option chosen) and a double period on "normal PE".. so a total of 5 periods of PE a week.

Dd1 in year 11 now and adores the written side. You don't have to be excellent at sport just 'sporty'.

You do a fair bit of biologys, function of the heart, lungs and muscles etc.

At AS/ A2 level it gets quite complex, covering the nervous system and micro structure of muscles etc

panic over - asked an "older" parent at the school and they won't be doing GSCE.

At our school children who choose 'PE' as an option to the National Certificate in Sport qualification. I can't remember what the levels are called, but one of them is equivalent to 1 GCSE A*-C, and another is equivalent to 2.

The top level is very demanding - loads of coursework, and they have to plan, organise, and run sporting events and competitions for primary children; and training programmes for serious athletes, etc.

If they don't choose PE as an option, they just do practical sport.

Our local comp. insists on PE as a GCSE. Which is one reason why neither of my children will be going there. They are both sporty but I can think of many other subjects I'd prefer them to take exams in.

Bridie - you only get a choice of 4 or 5 anyway the rest are compulsory. I think that sounds like a good idea as long as you still get to choose 4 yourself.