Physical Education - Higher

Vale of Leven Academy

The course offers opportunities for personalisation and choice through the selection of physical activities.

The course consists of two areas of study: Factors impacting on performance Candidates develop knowledge and understanding of mental, emotional, social and physical factors that impact on personal performance in physical activities. Through collecting information, candidates consider how these factors can influence effectiveness in performance. They develop knowledge and understanding of a range of approaches for enhancing performance. Candidates select and apply these approaches to factors that impact on their personal performance.

Candidates create and implement Personal Development Plans (PDPs), modify these, and justify decisions relating to future personal development needs. Performance Candidates develop their ability to demonstrate a broad and comprehensive range of complex movement and performance skills through a range of physical activities. They select, demonstrate, apply and adapt these skills, and use them to make informed decisions.

They also develop their knowledge and understanding of how these skills combine to produce effective outcomes.

Candidates develop consistency, precision, control and fluency of movement. They also learn how to respond to, and meet, the demands of performance in a safe and effective way.

Question paper- 50 marks

The question paper assesses the candidates’ ability to integrate and apply knowledge and understanding from across the course.

It gives candidates an opportunity to demonstrate the following skills, knowledge and understanding:  analysing factors that impact on performance

 explaining a range of approaches for developing performance

 analysing the recording, monitoring and evaluation of performance development

The question paper has a total mark allocation of 50 marks. This is 50% of the overall marks for the course assessment.

Performance- 60 marks

The performance assesses candidates’ ability to perform in two different physical activities. The context for each single performance event must set it apart from normal learning and teaching activities so that it is challenging, competitive and/or demanding.

This gives candidates an opportunity to demonstrate the following skills, knowledge and understanding:

 repertoire of skills — a broad and comprehensive performance repertoire (including complex movement and performance skills)

 control and fluency of complex movement and performance skills

 effective decision making and problem solving

 using and applying well established composition, tactics and roles

 extent to which rules and regulations are followed and etiquette is displayed (including working with others)

 extent to which emotions are controlled on the day of the performance

The performance has 60 marks out of a total of 110 marks. This is scaled by SQA to represent 50% of the overall marks for the course assessment. Each single performance event is marked out of 30.