Page 7 | PE GCSE - rewards kids for just being naturally sporty?

MrsAvocet · 10/09/2025 12:32

Gosh that's poor @DataColour When we had DS's pre GCSE options parents' evening in year 9 the PE teachers were asking him what sports he intended to do even then! I don't think they would have held him to those choices if he'd wanted to change in year 10 but they were on it right from the beginning and constantly checking on where the kids were up to.I'm not surprised you're annoyed.
I would probably keep things as simple as possible and opt for a 3rd choice that she is already doing to some extent at school even if it's not a sport she's particularly interested in. In reality I don't think many pupils do 3 sports to the same standard. I mean if they're at all serious about one or two sports there's rarely time to do a third to a high standard.
My DS was lucky in a way as they relaxed the requirements to two sports for his year as they were one of the first years post Covid and it was recognised that opportunities to compete had been much reduced for the couple of years previous. He does 2 sports quite seriously but between those, his school work and volunteering commitments there was just no time for taking up yet another sport properly. Before the change was announced he was going to use badminton as his 3rd as they play it at school making it an easy option to get assessed. Most of his friends were similar - very few seem to have 3 out of school sports.

AutumnalLight · 10/09/2025 12:39

Candleabra · 09/09/2025 07:26

You might as well say gcse maths rewards people who are great at mathematics. We all have our different strengths.

Exactly.

Namechangedasouting987 · 10/09/2025 16:29

My DD did football (academy player so high level), hockey (only at school) and cross country (school).
If you play a team sport at a very high level there isnt much time for other sport!
The academy videoed all matched which we could then clip.
The school organised hockey footage.
Cross country I had to video. The school sent one coach with the team, who couldn't video everyone! I used to do the start, somewhere in the middle and the finish and be dashing across fields to get the right place!
She then did football on her moderation day (organised by all local schools) and had to play with boys.

fetachocolate · 10/09/2025 17:09

BananaPeels · 09/09/2025 09:12

Why? That makes no sense. Sport/art/music can be easily assessed against objective levels just as maths and English can.

if I am employing a music expert, I want to know they are objectively good at the subject, not that they improved from not having any talent to having a little bit of talent. The improvement for that person is good for them but doesn’t mean they are good the subject compared to someone else.

GCSE’s are qualifications- There is nothing more to them than that. Anyone can study music/art/sports or any subject for that matter for enjoyment purposes and even for their career. You don’t necessarily need the piece of paper to be an expert in it.

Show quote history

Well the beauty of sport is that it has it's own scoring system! You know if you're good at it or not.

I am a violinist - believe me, hearing someone play is enough to know how good they are! When arts subjects are forced into an academic model it can really kill the joy of them, for both the people who are 'good' at it and the ones who aren't.

I just don't think all subjects should be obsessively measured in this way.

groma · 10/09/2025 22:22

Our experience was that close attention to the sport specific marking criteria on the exam board website can help an enthusiastic student get high marks in the practical elements even if they are not a county level in that sport.

Teen got 24/25 for the evidence we filmed. Has participated in this sport since a young age but on an enthusiastic recreational not county level.

We filmed lots specifically for the video evidence but edited this to 6 minutes and added video titles for each skill demonstrated. The video submitted was structured exactly like the marking scheme and the title slides we added ensured the assessor could immediately see which bits of the evidence related to which section of the marking scheme. We basically made it very hard for them not to award marks as the evidence was so clear. Not all the skills were perfect but they were all there and enough were performed at a high enough level.

ChicDuck · 12/09/2025 18:18

Hi, so my daughter took gcse PE and from what i recall, it was 60% theory so exams and 30% sports split across three different sports and 10%PEP which is a person exercise program. There is without doubt ssome sort of bias, but i think ur child will be okay if they smash their theory !

Dangermouse999 · 16/09/2025 15:48

ChicDuck · 12/09/2025 18:18

Hi, so my daughter took gcse PE and from what i recall, it was 60% theory so exams and 30% sports split across three different sports and 10%PEP which is a person exercise program. There is without doubt ssome sort of bias, but i think ur child will be okay if they smash their theory !

From DD's experience of doing PE GCSE, I can only say that the assessment for some of her sports performance seemed quite random, and not in a good way. It did seem that the PE teachers were biased against kids who didn't play for the school teams.

DD played in a very high calibre club netball team for many years including at national championships and other top tournaments. Yet somehow she only scored a 6 in her assessment and she thought that was because she refused to play for the school team.

We did think about appealing but she decided she didn't want to.

limescale · 16/09/2025 16:36

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

Dangermouse999 · 16/09/2025 17:36

groma · 10/09/2025 22:22

Our experience was that close attention to the sport specific marking criteria on the exam board website can help an enthusiastic student get high marks in the practical elements even if they are not a county level in that sport.

Teen got 24/25 for the evidence we filmed. Has participated in this sport since a young age but on an enthusiastic recreational not county level.

We filmed lots specifically for the video evidence but edited this to 6 minutes and added video titles for each skill demonstrated. The video submitted was structured exactly like the marking scheme and the title slides we added ensured the assessor could immediately see which bits of the evidence related to which section of the marking scheme. We basically made it very hard for them not to award marks as the evidence was so clear. Not all the skills were perfect but they were all there and enough were performed at a high enough level.

Interesting that you edited the video this way aligned to the skills with titles etc.

Ironically, DD has since developed good video editing skills as part of her uni course so that would have come in handy for her PE video assessment!

limescale · 16/09/2025 23:49

This reply has been deleted

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

Sorry, this is on the wrong thread, I'll ask for it to be deleted.

99bottlesofkombucha · 17/09/2025 00:16

mids2019 · 09/09/2025 07:22

My daughter is taking GCSE PE and I have to say looking at assessment I wonder if it is quite fair to rate on sport skills when some children are naturally good at sport and to a large extent skill and ability are determined by such things as hand eye coordination. Also if you have say a visual impairment I don't see how think can be fairly accounts d for in terms of assemsent.

Has anyone got children doing GCSE PE and is it a fair exam with the ability to score a high grade without just being innately good at sport. Seems to me if you are lacking for what ever reason you can't just work harder to be Messi or Emma Raducanu!

It’s a choice not a mandatory subject though? I’d fail any music gcses but doesn’t mean I resent the musically inclined kids doing them?? This is such a ridiculous attitude - some kids are good at some stuff so we shouldn’t allow that stuff! Down with stuff some people are good at!

99bottlesofkombucha · 17/09/2025 00:25

mids2019 · 09/09/2025 07:40

You don't have the option to not take maths or English and there is the expectation people can improve in these subjects. I think there is scope to improve in written exams but in terms of just playing sport you are rewarded for your talent. The problem with GCSE OR is that teachers don't tell children they are poor at sport so you do find people taking it that will find it a challenge.

My oldest is 10 and even at their ages kids know who is good at sport? Who gets into competitive teams, who wins at athletics, who plays in competitive leagues, who controls the game…

mrsconradfisher · 17/09/2025 08:10

mids2019 · 09/09/2025 07:22

My daughter is taking GCSE PE and I have to say looking at assessment I wonder if it is quite fair to rate on sport skills when some children are naturally good at sport and to a large extent skill and ability are determined by such things as hand eye coordination. Also if you have say a visual impairment I don't see how think can be fairly accounts d for in terms of assemsent.

Has anyone got children doing GCSE PE and is it a fair exam with the ability to score a high grade without just being innately good at sport. Seems to me if you are lacking for what ever reason you can't just work harder to be Messi or Emma Raducanu!

I have 2 boys, one now at Uni who took GCSE/A level PE and is doing a Sports Science Course at a top Sports Uni and one currently doing GCSE PE.

On paper DS2 is by far the sportier one, he is extremely talented in 2 sports and is generally a sporty kid who tries his hand at everything.

DS1 enjoys sport but has far less natural ability than DS2.

DS1 got an 8 in GSCE PE and an A at A level purely because the practical element makes up such a tiny part of the course. He excels at the science and theory part. He got marks equivalent to a first in his first year at Uni (he is at Loughborough)

DS2 I imagine will come out with a 6 possibly because although he is very sporty, he finds the science part more challenging.

So take this as case study! 2 boys doing the same subject both with different levels of innate ability but will do very differently and not in the way you are suggesting.