Revising for OCR GCSE PE doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. With the right approach (and a bit of structure), you can feel confident walking into your exams. This guide breaks everything down clearly – from how many papers there are, to exactly what content you need to revise and how the questions work.💪
📑 How Many Papers Are There?
OCR GCSE PE has two written exam papers.
Both exams are 1 hour long ⏰
Both are worth 60 marks
Together, they make up 60% of your final GCSE PE grade
(The remaining 40% comes from practical performance and coursework – but this guide focuses on the written exams.)
📑 Paper 1: Physical Factors Affecting Performance
⏰Duration: 1 hour
🏆Marks: 60 marks (30% of total grade)
📌Content: Paper 1 covers the science behind sport performance, split into two major content blocks.
You’ll learn how the body works when you exercise - this includes:
Skeletal system (bones, joints and movement)
Muscular system (major muscles and how they work)
Movement analysis - levers, planes & axes
Cardiovascular system (heart & blood vessels)
Respiratory system (breathing and gaseous exchange)
Short- and long-term effects of exercise on body systems
✅Physical Training
This topic covers how and why we train - including:
Components of fitness (like strength, endurance, flexibility)
Principles of training (FITT, overload, specificity, progression)
Training methods (continuous, interval, circuits, etc.)
Fitness testing (how different tests work)
Warm-ups and cool-downs
Preventing injuries and safety in training
❓Question Types: Paper 1 mixes recall, understanding and application questions.
🔹 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Choose the correct answer from several options
Usually test key facts (e.g. muscles, bones, training principles)
📌 Quick wins if you revise definitions properly!
🔹 Short Answer Questions
Explain, identify or describe something briefly
Often start with command words like:
Name
State
Identify
Example skills tested:
Naming muscles or bones
Identifying components of fitness
🔹 Medium Answer Questions
Require some explanation, not just facts
Often ask you to apply knowledge to sporting examples
Use PE key terms clearly 🏋️♂️
🔹 Extended Response Questions
The highest-mark questions in the paper
Ask you to:
Explain
Analyse
Discuss
Often linked to training methods, body systems or injury prevention
✏️ Structure matters here – make clear points and explain each one!
📑 Paper 2: Socio-Cultural Issues and Sports Psychology
⏰Duration: 1 hour
🏆Marks: 60 (30% of total grade)
📌Content: Paper 2 explores why people participate in sport, the psychology behind performance and health and wellbeing.
✅Socio-Cultural Influences
You’ll explore how society affects sport, including:
Factors that influence participation (age, gender, ethnicity, access, cost)
Engagement patterns in sport (who takes part and why)
Commercialisation of sport - media, sponsorship and the “golden triangle”
Ethical issues like sportsmanship, gamesmanship, deviance and drugs in sport
✅Sports Psychology
This topic focuses on the mindset and skill side of performance:
What skill is and how it’s classified (simple/complex, open/closed)
Goal setting (especially SMART goals)
Mental preparation before performance
Types of guidance (visual, verbal, manual)
Types of feedback (intrinsic, extrinsic, knowledge of results)
✅Health, Fitness and Well-Being
This section looks at why staying active matters:
Components of health (physical, emotional, social)
Benefits of physical activity for health
Risks of a sedentary lifestyle (e.g., obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes)
Balanced diet and nutrition (macronutrients, micronutrients, hydration
❓Question Types: Paper 2 focuses more on discussion, explanation and real-world examples.
🔹 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Test understanding of key ideas like:
Participation
Ethics
Health benefits
📌 Know your definitions and examples!
🔹 Short Answer Questions
Straightforward questions checking understanding
Example topics:
Types of guidance
Health benefits of exercise
Factors affecting participation
🔹 Medium Answer Questions
Ask you to explain how or why
Often linked to:
Commercialisation
Goal setting
Diet and health
🔹 Extended Response Questions
Common in this paper 🧠
Usually ask you to discuss or evaluate
Examples include:
Ethical issues in sport
How psychology affects performance
How lifestyle choices affect health
💡 Use examples from sport or real life to boost marks!
✨Here are some top tips to make your revision more effective:
1. Break It Down by Topic🗂️
Create revision notes for each major topic, like anatomy, training principles, diet and motivation. Tackle one topic at a time so it feels manageable. 🧠
2. Practice Past Papers📝
Doing real past exam questions helps you:
✅ Get used to paper structure
✅ Practice timing
✅ Spot common question styles
You can find the links to past OCR PE papers on this page and use mark schemes to check your answers.
3. Focus on Short Answer Questions🎯
Most marks in both papers come from 1- and 2-mark questions - these require quick recall and clarity. Practise writing short, sharp answers with key terms! 📌
4. Master Longer “Extended Response”✍️
For 4–6 mark questions:
Plan your answer
Use PE key words
Give examples and explain why or how
This shows you understand the topic - not just memorised facts.
5. Use Diagrams and Mnemonics📊
Biology topics (like the heart, lungs, muscles) and psychology models are easier to remember with diagrams or fun memory tricks! 🧩😄
6. Study With Friends🤝
Quizzing each other can make revision more fun and helps you spot gaps in your knowledge. Plus, you can explain things to someone else - a great way to reinforce learning! 🙌
💡 Final Pep Talk
You've got this! 📣 Keep your revision structured, stay consistent and use past papers to build confidence. Remember: understanding beats cramming every time. Good luck! 🍀
