WACE Physical Education Studies: complete 2026 guide to ATAR Units 3 and 4 (SCSA)

WACE ATAR Physical Education Studies (Western Australia, SCSA) Year 12 is the Units 3 and 4 sequence. The final ATAR course mark is split evenly: 50 percent school-based assessment across the year and 50 percent external assessment set by SCSA. Unusually, the external half is made up of two components, a written examination and a separate practical (performance) examination, so the course rewards both your understanding of exercise and sport science and your ability to perform in a physical activity.

This page is the index. Below you will find the structure of the course, how the marks combine, and links to every dot-point answer we have written for Physical Education Studies Units 3 and 4.

How the course is assessed in 2026

School-based assessment: 50 percent. Run by your school against the SCSA assessment outline, this combines written tasks and tests, response and analysis tasks, and practical (performance) assessment in your selected activities. It is moderated so that schools mark to a common standard.

External assessment: 50 percent (written exam plus practical exam). The external half has two parts. The written examination is a single paper covering Units 3 and 4 together, blending short-answer and extended-answer questions that ask you to apply anatomy, biomechanics, physiology, motor learning, sport psychology and sociocultural theory to sporting scenarios. The practical (performance) examination is assessed separately by external assessors who observe you performing in your chosen physical activity. Both components count toward the external mark.

The two halves are combined and statistically moderated to produce your final ATAR course mark, which then feeds into your ATAR through the usual scaling process.

Unit 3: Factors Affecting Performance

Unit 3 examines the biological and learning factors that shape how well a person performs. You study the working musculoskeletal system, apply physics to movement, explain how the body fuels and adapts to exercise, and analyse how skills are learned and coached.

Topics. Functional anatomy (major muscles and joint actions, muscle roles, contraction types, lever systems). Biomechanics of movement (Newton's laws, force summation, momentum and impulse, stability, projectile motion). Exercise physiology and training (the three energy systems and their interplay, training principles, methods and adaptations). Motor learning and coaching (stages of learning, skill classification, practice types, feedback).

Unit 4: Enhancing Performance and Maintaining Participation

Unit 4 looks at how performance is optimised and how participation is sustained. You study the psychology of performance, advanced training and recovery, fast decision making under pressure, and the social forces that shape who takes part.

Topics. Sport psychology (arousal and anxiety theories, psychological skills). Advanced training and recovery (periodisation, advanced methods, overtraining, recovery and supercompensation). Skill under pressure and decision making (information processing, reaction time, attention, anticipation). Sociocultural influences on participation (socialisation, barriers and enablers, strategies for lifelong participation).

Our 2026 WACE Physical Education Studies dot-point answers

Every link below is a focused answer to one SCSA syllabus content area. Each page identifies what the dot point is asking, gives the worked answer with accurate sport science and a sporting example, and flags the mistake most likely to cost marks.

Unit 3: Factors Affecting Performance

• Functional anatomy
• Biomechanics of movement
• Exercise physiology and training
• Motor learning and coaching

Unit 4: Enhancing Performance and Maintaining Participation

• Sport psychology
• Advanced training and recovery
• Skill under pressure and decision making
• Sociocultural influences on participation