§-Physical Education syllabus
SA · SACE Board← Physical Education
Physical Education syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the SA Physical Education syllabus, with a focused answer for each. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions and links to related points.
Assessment and Investigation
Module overview →How do you plan, conduct and communicate the external Investigation that links a focus-area concept to physical activity performance?
Design and conduct the 30 percent external Investigation: frame a question, gather and analyse evidence, and communicate findings about a focus-area concept.
How do you analyse a performance, apply a focus-area concept, implement an improvement strategy and evaluate its impact?
Plan and complete a Performance Improvement task by analysing a performance, applying a concept, implementing a strategy and evaluating its effect with evidence.
Focus Area 1: In Movement
Module overview →How do the cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular systems respond immediately when a person begins to exercise?
Explain the acute (immediate, short-term) physiological responses of the cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular systems to a single bout of exercise.
How do rotation, torque and the conservation of angular momentum explain spinning and somersaulting movements?
Apply the principles of angular motion - torque, moment of inertia and conservation of angular momentum - to explain and improve rotating movements.
How do force, levers and the laws of motion explain and improve human movement and performance?
Apply biomechanical principles - force, levers, Newton's laws, projectile motion and stability - to analyse and improve movement.
How does the body adapt structurally and functionally to repeated training over weeks and months?
Explain the chronic (long-term) cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular adaptations to aerobic and anaerobic training, and how they improve performance.
What are the components of physical fitness, and how are they measured validly and reliably?
Identify the health-related and skill-related components of fitness and select valid, reliable and specific tests to measure each.
How do the three energy systems interact to resynthesise ATP during physical activity of different intensities and durations?
Analyse the contribution of the ATP-PC, anaerobic glycolysis and aerobic energy systems to performance, and how they interplay across an activity.
What causes fatigue during different types of exercise, and how does the body recover afterwards?
Explain the causes of fatigue specific to each energy system and the recovery processes that restore the body, including the oxygen deficit and EPOC.
How do air and water resistance, drag, lift and spin affect the movement of athletes and projectiles?
Apply the principles of fluid mechanics - drag, lift, the Magnus effect and buoyancy - to explain and improve movement through air and water.
How does a performer take in information, decide on a response and produce a movement, and what speeds this up?
Explain the information-processing model - input, decision-making, output and feedback - and the factors that influence reaction time and decision speed.
How do learners progress through the stages of learning, and how do practice and feedback shape skill acquisition?
Explain the stages of learning, classifications of skills, and the role of practice and feedback in developing motor skills.
How does learning or practising one skill affect the learning or performance of another?
Explain the types of transfer of learning - positive, negative, zero, bilateral - and how practice can be designed to maximise positive transfer.
Focus Area 2: Through Movement
Module overview →How do arousal and anxiety affect performance, and how can performers manage them?
Explain the relationship between arousal, anxiety and performance using the inverted-U and related theories, and evaluate strategies for managing arousal.
How do groups form, develop and become cohesive, and what makes a team perform better than the sum of its members?
Explain how groups form and develop, the factors that build cohesion, and the social processes that influence group performance.
What drives people to start, persist with and improve in physical activity, and how does goal setting harness this?
Explain intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and apply the principles of effective goal setting to improve participation and performance.
How do nutrition and hydration before, during and after activity support performance and recovery?
Explain the role of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and fluids in fuelling performance and recovery, including pre-event, during-event and post-event strategies.
How is a training year structured so an athlete peaks at the right time and avoids overtraining?
Explain periodisation - the division of training into macrocycles, mesocycles and microcycles - and apply it to plan training that peaks for competition.
How do collaboration, communication and tactical decision-making influence the quality of performance in a group movement context?
Analyse how collaborative behaviours and tactical decision-making shape performance, and evaluate strategies that improve a group's effectiveness.
How do the principles of training and the choice of training method produce specific physiological adaptations that improve performance?
Apply the principles of training and select appropriate training methods to design a program that improves a targeted component of fitness.
Focus Area 3: About Movement
Module overview →What barriers prevent people from being physically active, what enablers support participation, and how can interventions shift the balance?
Identify and analyse the barriers and enablers to physical activity participation, and evaluate strategies that reduce barriers and strengthen enablers.
How equitable and inclusive is physical activity, and how can programs better include under-represented groups?
Analyse equity, inclusion and diversity in physical activity for under-represented groups, and evaluate strategies that make participation more inclusive.
How do governments, schools, sporting bodies and institutions shape who participates in physical activity?
Analyse how government policy, funding, schools and sporting institutions influence participation in physical activity, and evaluate their effectiveness.
How do sociocultural factors shape who participates in physical activity, how they participate, and the meaning it holds for them?
Analyse how sociocultural factors such as gender, culture, socioeconomic status and the media influence participation in physical activity.
How has technology changed the way people perform, train for and participate in physical activity?
Analyse how technology influences performance, training, officiating and participation in physical activity, and evaluate its benefits and drawbacks.