Advance Exam Information in Edexcel GCSE PE 9-1: Where Do We Go from Here?

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➚ Q: What guidance has been published for PE?
➚ Q: How did the sector react to the advance exam information?
➚ Q: What are the implications for my classroom teaching?
➚ Q: What is the specific guidance from Edexcel for GCSE PE?
➚ Q: What are James's recommendations for Edexcel GCSE PE?
➚ What can The EverLearner do to help

 Q: What guidance has been published for PE? 

On Monday 7th February 2022, all exam boards published their advance exam information for PE and Sport courses examined in summer 2022. The aim of this guidance can be viewed here:

Extract taken from JCQ’s publication: Advance Information for Ofqual Regulated General Qualifications (Summer 2022)

JCQ have guided the exam boards to provide information that does not jeopardise these principles:

So, with these principles in mind, teachers and students received the advance exam information and what follows is aimed at achieving three things:

1. Establishing core educational principles by which teachers should use the advance information.
2. Interpreting each batch of advance exam information.
3. Making recommendations on each batch of advance exam information (covering all major courses).

 Q: How did the sector react to the advance exam information? 

Judging by the online response, PE teachers received the guidance with a degree of frustration. One main bone of contention was the issue of synopticity:

Example 1:

Taken from AQA GCSE PE 9-1 advance exam information publication.

Example 2:

Taken from Edexcel GCSE PE 9-1 advance exam information.

Teachers feel that the AEI may, therefore, be absent of some of the topics that feature in the most challenging questions because they are synoptic in nature. My interpretation of this is slightly different. For example, the AQA GCSE PE 9-1 does feature a nine-mark synoptic question at the very end of the paper. The nature of this question is that students receive credit for being able to link wider aspects of learning to the question theme synoptically. I believe it is this skill that the guidance is referring to. Therefore, I believe that all high-tariff topics have been listed on the AEI with the exception of the optional links that students make. These links are very open in their nature and completely individual to the student. Whilst this is only an interpretation, I believe it is the one that makes sense.

 Q: So, what are the implications for my classroom teaching? 

It is vital that core educational principles must be applied by teachers when using the AEI:

1. Students have the right to learn all knowledge and skills relating to a course.
2. The AEI provides relevant context by which specific content and skills can be honed.
3. Students need to be guided to prepare all specification knowledge and skills.

 Q: What is the specific guidance from Edexcel for GCSE PE? 

First of all, it is vital that you view the full guidance from Edexcel here.

This is our summary of the listed content:

 Q: What are James's recommendations for Edexcel GCSE PE? 

My top five recommendations for Edexcel GCSE PE 9-1:

🔑 Recommendation 1: Use the Classification of skill topic to develop the “Justify” AO3 skill. This is a skill that students on the Edexcel course have traditionally struggled on and this topic is an excellent way to develop it.

Here is an example:


*Question taken from AQA GCSE PE 9-1 ExamSimulator on TheEverLearner.com.

🔑 Recommendation 2: On paper 2, ensure that your students’ preparation on Commercialisation and media covers all bases. The students’ knowledge may be tested in relation to the impact on the performer, the sport, the spectators, the sponsors or the officials. Furthermore, the students’ understanding must be evaluative/discursive. They must be able to provide both positive and negative influences in all cases.

Compared to notes on impact on the player/team:

🔑 Recommendation 3: Pay close attention to Fitness testing and Training. Whilst it is not possible to make predictions on what the nine-marker for paper 1 will cover, Fitness testing and Training methods are major areas of focus on the topic list and have a history of being asked by Edexcel. With specific regard to Training methods, teachers are encouraged to focus attention on the factors to consider when selecting a training method. These factors are very useful to extend the quality of a longer answer on training methods and will allow the student to perform better on application (AO2) and evaluation (AO3).

🔑 Recommendation 4: Remember that every one of the listed topic areas will be examined. This is the benefit of the wide topic list that Edexcel have published. At first glance, it is likely that teachers will feel the list is unrefined or even useless but, at closer inspection, there is a lot of detail here. Notice, for example, that Emotional and physical health and wellbeing are listed but Social health and wellbeing is not. This is very specific. Notice that feedback is listed but guidance is not. In my opinion, this gives a great deal of insight into the right areas of focus for final preparations with little left to chance.

🔑 Recommendation 5: The devil is in the details! Whilst this is no different to a normal Edexcel GCSE PE teaching experience, we can be confident that ensuring students are well prepared on specific skills will help to push them forward this year. Take goal setting as an example: all centres will teach what SMART stands for, but only some centres will accurately guide students on the value of each principle and how to apply them.

This extract is taken from my video/quiz writing notes for use of goals:

Only some centres will “nail” this knowledge. It is also worthwhile considering the application of this knowledge. Take this four-mark exam question as an example. It asks the student to not only know SMART but be able to apply it to specific goals:

Here, the student clearly needs to understand SMART, not just be able to remember the acronym. It is skills like this that will mark out your students’ answers in 2022.

These links are almost universal when answering nine-mark questions.

 What can The EverLearner do to help? 

I would like to ask a favour. Now the AEIs have been published, I would like you to tell me in what ways I can help you and your learners in the coming months. In addition to my core work with TheEverLearner.com and ExamSimulator, I aim to improve the experience of pre-exam learning this academic year. For this reason I am asking you to answer the form below.

You can complete the form anonymously if you wish but please do take a moment to let me know how I can help you.

Thank you.