VII: The Performance Assessment (PA

CHAPTER VII: PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT (PA)

Students must choose one of the three selected physical activities to complete their Performance Assessment. The chosen activity must be from a different physical activity area than the activity chosen for the Physical Activity Project (PAP). The selection of activities must be made with the agreement of their teacher. The assessment is in the form of a video of their best performance. This assessment is worth 150 marks which equates to 30% of the overall LCPE marks. It is assessed at a common level.

Student’s must select their Performance Assessment activity in the October of 6th year. The teacher must complete and submit the Performance Assessment physical activities selection form to the SEC prior to the deadline.

Timeframe for completing the video

The assessment guidelines state that the video should be captured in class between January and the end of March in 6th year. This may be difficult to achieve in this timeframe due to disruption as a result of poor weather, open days, mock exams and extra-curricular activities. In addition to this, different students may be working on different activities in shared facilities or in a range of areas such as the sports hall, school gym and outdoor areas. To overcome this you should plan to gather footage during the period when the students are engaging in each of the three selected activities in isolation: • Plan two to four weeks towards the end of the selected activity for students to capture footage of their best performance in the activity. This will provide the chance for students to practise using the IT equipment and how to shoot the best quality video. • Ensure the footage is specific to the scenario and the skills and techniques outlined in the specification. • Students will also need to practise editing and compiling the video clips into a completed piece of work. • The completed video could be used as a summative assessment. For example, it could make up part of their summer assessment in 5th year. • This footage may become essential if a student is ill or injured during 6th year. • Students will find it much easier to work independently in 6th year having had the opportunity to practise and overcome the many challenges of capturing a performance that encompasses all the assessment areas of the activity.

Criteria for the video

The SEC has specific rules for submitting the final Performance Assessment including: • Students may only submit one video. • It must be in MP4 format. This may require file conversion depending on the device used. • The maximum duration is eight minutes. Any material beyond this will not be marked. • The material submitted should be from a single performance. • It may not be possible to include the entire performance in eight minutes. • Students should select and combine the most appropriate sections from their best performance into the completed eight-minute video. • The file size cannot exceed 2GB. • The name of the video should include the year of examination, the physical activity and candidate exam number, for example ‘2021 Gaelic football 123456’.

• The first frame of the video must be a text slide that includes: • Candidate exam number • Identify yourself, for example ‘Candidate 123456 is the girl in the red T-shirt’. A picture could be included. For games activities, numbered jerseys may be useful. • Physical activity area and physical activity selected. For example, ‘Personal exercise and fitness: Health-related fitness – Circuit training and interval training’. • The physical activity selected for the Physical Activity Project (PAP), for example, ‘PAP activity: Athletics – Shot put’. • Students are allowed up to five text frames to address the relevant areas of the assessment guidelines and the specification, as described below.

Scenario 1: Games, aquatics, adventure activities or athletics

Areas to be covered: • Tactics and strategies • Awareness of safety issues • Adherence to the relevant rules, regulations and codes of practice

Additional information is required for athletics events:

Running (sprints/middle or long distance/hurdles) • Distance covered and time taken, for example, ‘100m sprint in 12.5s’. • The height and number of hurdles, for example, ‘100m hurdles at 83.8cm (H), 10 hurdles in 14.2s’.

Throwing (shot put/javelin/discus/hammer) • Distance thrown in metres (m) and the weight of the implement (grams/kilograms), for example, ‘Javelin, 800g, 61.5m’.

Jumping (long/high/triple) • Distance jumped in metres, for example, ‘Long jump, 5.65m’.

Scenario 2: Artistic and aesthetic movement

Areas to be covered: • Compositional and/or choreographic design • Creativity • Awareness of safety • Adherence to the relevant rules, regulations and codes of practice.

Scenario 3: Personal exercise and fitness

Areas to be covered: • Principles of training • Training zones • Thresholds • Work-recovery intervals • Awareness of safety • Adherence to the relevant rules, regulations and codes of practice.

Assessment criteria

The key areas of assessment as set out in the LCPE specification, assessment guidelines and SEC guidelines include: • Overall performance • Skills and techniques of the activity • Tactics, strategies, composition and training considerations relevant to the activity • Knowledge and application of the rules, regulations and codes of practice for the selected activity • Adherence to safe practice in the selected physical activity.

Submitting and storing the video

Students must save the completed video onto a secure encrypted storage system and retain a copy until after the examinations and appeals process has been completed. Videos will be submitted by the students onto an SEC portal. The teacher and student will be required to sign documents to authenticate the work prior to submission.

What should be included in the video

The students must record evidence of the key skills, techniques and/or compositional elements of the activity. This evidence must be based on: 1) The elements relating to the activity outlined on pages 33–45 of the LCPE specification. 2) The relevant scenario outlined in Physical Education (LCPE): Guidelines for the

Performance Assessment. The key elements of both documents have been combined below for ease of use. The compulsory elements of each activity are outlined under each scenario.

Scenario 1: Games, aquatics, adventure activities, athletics

The learner, in consultation with the teacher, plans how the learner can demonstrate their best performance using different performance contexts, e.g. fully competitive, conditioned practices, individual and group performances. The video should include evidence of the following: • skills and techniques as outlined for the selected physical activity in the specification • tactics and/or strategies • awareness of safety issues around availability/choice of equipment and its use; and adherence to the relevant rules, regulations and codes of practice in a fitness training setting.

Games

Striking/Fielding games

Cricket

• Batting (straight/on/off/on-drive, forward/back) • Batting (cut/pull/glance) • Bowling (medium or fast or spin, line/ length) • Fielding – close • Fielding – deep

Softball/Rounders

• Catching/receiving/throwing (various) • Hitting/striking/batting • Pitching/bowling (various) (medium, fast, swerve, spin, line/length) • Fielding on base/close • Fielding deep/outfield

Net/Wall games

Badminton

• Service (high/low) • Net play (forehand/backhand) • Clears (forehand/backhand) • Drop shots • Smash

Table tennis

• Service (forehand/backhand variations) • Drives (forehand/backhand) • Push (forehand/backhand) • Block • Smash

Squash

• Service (forehand/backhand variations) • Drives (forehand/backhand) • Volleys (forehand/backhand) • Boasts • Lob

Handball (60x30, 40x20)

• Underarm stroke • Overhand stroke • Back wall shot • Straight hit from short line • Fly shot • Side-arm stroke (40x20 only) • Serve

Tennis

• Service (variations) • Drives (forehand/backhand) • Volleys (forehand/backhand) • Lob • Smash

Volleyball

• Service (under/over arm, frontal, floating/side floating) • Volleying (set forward/backward) • Forearm pass/dig • Smash/spike • Blocking

Invasion games

Gaelic football

• Handling (passing/receiving, fielding, hand pass, pick up) • Tackling/intercepting (challenging, front, shoulder, displacing, blocking) • Running/moving with the ball (soloing, toe to hand, dummying, dribbling, side-step, swerve, change of pace) • Kicking (hand, ground, instep/drop, driven, clearance, return to play) • Shooting (long, short, 45s)

Rugby Union

• Handling (passing/receiving, long/short, stationary/run, high/low, pick up from ground, quick spin, diving, switch) • Tackling/intercepting (front, rear, side, smother) • Retaining ball in maul • Retaining possession on ground in maul • Running with the ball (swerve, side-step, dummy, change of pace)

Soccer – outfield

• Passing/receiving/control (short, long, ground, lofted, chip, both feet) • Dribbling/moving with the ball (both feet) • Shooting (short, long, volley, half volley) • Heading – defence and attack • Tackling/jockeying/closing down/intercepting

Hockey – outfield

• Passing/receiving/control (push, stopping, short, long, slap, hitting, reverse, L/R) • Dribbling/moving with ball/open/ reverse/change of pace • Flicking – short/long, high/low, penalties • Shooting (L/R circle, close, distance) • Tackling/jockeying/closing down/intercepting

Hurling/Camogie

• Handling (passing/receiving, fielding, hand pass, pick up) • Tackling/intercepting (challenging, front, shoulder, displacing, blocking) • Running/moving with the ball (soloing, pick up, dummying, dribbling, side-step, swerve, change of pace) • Hitting (hand, ground, in the air, drop, clearance) • Shooting (long, short, 65s)

Basketball

• Passing/receiving (handling, chest, bounce, side, overhead, running, stationary) • Dribbling/moving with the ball (both hands, change of pace, reverse) • Shooting (L/R, lay ups, driving) • Shooting (set, jump, 3 point) • Marking/intercepting (1v1, against ball handler, rebounding) • Footwork

Soccer – goalkeeping

• Receiving/distributing • Kicking – from hand/dead ball • Shot-stopping (high/low) • Taking ball at the feet • Taking high crosses/punching

Hockey – goalkeeping

• Receiving/distributing (both feet) • Defending short corners • Saving penalty flicks • Shot-stopping (high/low, edge of circle) • Sliding tackling on attacking player

Aquatics

Lifesaving

• Entry into water/entries into unknown conditions • Strokes/propelling over a distance to casualty or with casualty • Lifesaving kick/side stroke • Approaching casualty and manoeuvring a casualty when turning • Contact/non-contact tows using rigid/non-rigid aids/conserving energy/breath/heat • Two different types of rescue

Survival swimming

• Entry into water/entries into unknown conditions • Straddle/ability to submerge – feet first/head first/surface dive from water to depth • Floating – ability to maintain buoyancy with or without aid • Treading water • Strokes – stamina swimming in clothing maintaining form/ propelling and sculling • Underwater swimming • Turns in distance swimming • Conserving energy/breath/heat – HELP position, HUDDLE position with at least two others

Two swimming strokes

• Body position/alignment • Hand entry/hand glide position/hand exit position • Kick • Stroke co-ordination • Head action, breathing action • Starts, turns, finishes • Sprint and distance swimming

Synchronised swimming

• Back layout, tuck position • Front layout front pike • Back pike, ballet leg • Fishtail, flamingo and bent knee vertical • Dolphin arch, surface arch, split walk over, front • Duet or trio performance inclusing combinations of these and other synchronised swimming movements

Water polo

• Passing/receiving skills (various) • Shooting skills (various) • Moving with the ball • Moving free • Marking/intercepting skills

Adventure activities

Orienteering

• Map reading • Pacing skills • Navigation skills • Route planning • Adhering to safe practice procedures • Demonstrating respect for the environment

Kayaking (inland flat water/coastal)

• Launching and landing – at low wall/bank • Paddling – forwards, backwards, stopping, sweep and reverse sweep strokes (static and moving), stern rudder, bow rudder, figure of eight course (forward and backwards), ferry glide and reverse ferry glide • Draw strokes and support strokes – draw strokes/ sculling draw, sculling for support • Capsize drill, rolls, self rescue and recovery • Deep water rescues – swimmer to boat/X-rescue, rafting

Rock climbing (outdoor or indoor climbing wall: single pitch)

• Ability to use equipment and implement safe procedures • Basic knots • Correct use of climbing calls and communication • Climbing bottom and top rope (single and multiple anchors), rope management, belaying, hand/ finger/foot jams, three-point and/or correct use of two-point contact points, lay backing, undercling, bridging • Climbing overhang and/or mantle shelf • Traversing feet and hands • Abseiling straight demonstrating ability to lock off when collecting equipment part-way down

Sailing

• Leaving/returning to windward shore • Leaving/returning to a leeward shore • Tacking/going about (upwind) • Gybing • Capsize drill and recovery • Sailing course up/downwind

Kayaking (moving/white water)

• Launching and landing – at low wall/bank • Paddling – forwards, backwards, stopping, sweep and reverse sweep strokes, edging, stern rudder, ferry glide and reverse ferry glide • Breaking in and out of a current: into eddy – bow rudder/ low brace and no brace; from eddy – low brace, bow rudder • Negotiating and use of currents and water features including stoppers, standing, waves, whirlpools and green water • Capsize drill, Eskimo roll, self rescue and recovery • Two advanced/group skills from capsize and rescue, (self and with rope) e.g. combat roll, high cross, hanging draw

Rowing/Sculling

• Sculling strokes • Rowing on stroke side • Rowing on bow side • Paddling with square blades • Single stroke to hands away

Athletics

Running

• Sprints • Middle distance • Long distance • Hurdles • Starts and finishes • Upper body action (head and arms) • Lower body action (legs) • Overall efficiency

Additional information required

• Distance covered and time taken, for example,

‘100m sprint in 12.5s’ • The height and number of hurdles, for example, 100m hurdles at 83.8cm (H), 10 hurdles in 14.2s’.

Throwing

• Shot put • Discus • Javelin • Hammer

Jumping

• High jump • Long jump • Triple jump • Grip, stance and preparation • Movement into throwing action • Release and follow through • Overall efficiency

• Run up • Take off • Flight • Landing • Overall efficiency

Additional Information required

• Distance thrown in metres (m) and the weight of the implement (grams/kilograms), for example,

‘Javelin, 800g, 61.5m’.

Additional Information required

• Distance jumped in metres, for example, ‘Long jump, 5.65m’.

Important: Remember to include the distance and time for running events (hurdle height and number also); distance and implement weight for throwing; distance for jumping.

Scenario 2: Artistic and aesthetic movement

The learner, in consultation with their teacher, plans how they can demonstrate their best performance in the following performance contexts: • individual performance

and

• pair or group performance.

The video should include evidence of the following: • proficiency in imaginative combinations of skills and techniques in the appropriate style of the gymnastic event

or

• proficiency in imaginative combinations of movements demonstrating technical competence in the appropriate style of the dance event.

and

• compositional and/or choreographic design including the use of props and/or costumes where appropriate • creativity • awareness of safety: safety issues around availability/choice of equipment and its use; adherence to the relevant rules, regulations and codes of practice.

Artistic gymnastics

Include:

• Jumps (minimum 2) – tuck/pike/straddle/180 degrees turn • Rolls (minimum 2) – forward/backward/other • Balances (minimum 2) – handstand/headstand/ arabesque/other • Weight transference (minimum 2) – cartwheel/ round off/hand spring/back flip

Rhythmic gymnastics

Demonstrate a short floor sequence that includes: • Balances • Pivots/rolls • Splits • Hops/leaps/skips • Body waves/bends/circles/swings/turns.

Perform set routines to music and use different pieces of apparatus from: • ball • hoop • ribbon • rope • club

Dance

Perform an individual and group dance that includes: • Technical ability – posture, alignment, co-ordination, balance, strength, flexibility, mobility and control • Overall choreographic design including: • choreographic content – use of space, e.g. levels and pathways, timing and relationship to other dancers • choreographic construction – motif and variation • choreographic form – e.g. canon, unison, binary, rondo • Dance style, e.g. contemporary, folk, modern, ballet, jazz, tap, ethnic, traditional • Use of props and music • Overall sense of performance including the ability to communicate artistically and aesthetically with an audience.

Include four of the following agilities:

• Backward roll to handstand • Handspring • Back flip • Front somersault • Hand stand half turn • One-handed cartwheel • Back somersault • Backward/forward walkovers

Include at least 2 vaults:

• Handspring • Short arm overswing • Optional vault of similar tariff (not through or straddle)

Scenario 3: Personal exercise and fitness

In this scenario, the learner is required to demonstrate a personal exercise and fitness programme designed to enhance one of the following:

1. Performance-related physical fitness in a physical activity 2. Health-related physical fitness.

In their chosen personal exercise and fitness programme, the learner is required to choose one method of aerobic training and one conditioning and resistance activity. The learner is expected to apply the following training considerations to both methods selected: • principles of training • training zones • thresholds • work-recovery intervals • warm-up/cool-down.

Where the learner chooses to demonstrate a personal exercise and fitness programme designed to improve performance in a physical activity, the activities chosen should enhance performance in some or all of the following areas depending on the requirements of the activity: • speed • agility • co-ordination • power • reaction time • balance.

Where the learner chooses to demonstrate a health-related fitness programme, this should include activities designed to enhance performance in all of the following areas: • cardio-vascular endurance • muscular endurance • strength • flexibility • body composition.

The video of the programme should include evidence of the following: • Warm-up, including the necessary elements of a warm-up. • Developmental section, including activities to enhance each component of health- or performance-related fitness; evidence of an understanding of the principles of training; training zones; thresholds. Work-recovery intervals should also be included. • Each activity should include a progression and an adaptation that could be employed to improve outcomes as general progress is made. A variety of progressions and adaptations is expected in this context. The development section could include a circuit format. • Cool-down section, including the necessary elements of a cool-down. The video should also demonstrate an awareness of safety, for example the choice of equipment and its safe use, and adherence to the relevant rules, regulations and codes of practice in a fitness training setting.

Aerobic training

Continuous training

• Constant intensity • Purpose • FITT formula • Intermediate slow distance (20–60 mins) • Long slow distance (>60 mins)

Fartlek training

• Readiness • Terrain • Interval duration • FITT formula

Spinning

• Spinning techniques • Workout intensity • Session design • Training zones • FITT formula

Interval training

• Readiness • Work: recovery ratios • Interval duration • FITT formula

Aerobics/step aerobics

• Technical description of skills • Routine • Transition • Timing and rhythm • Training zones • FITT formula

Indoor rowing

• Time • Distance • Targets • Resistance • Session design

Conditioning and resistance training

Weight training Upper extremity pushing

• Pressing • Extensions

Lower extremity exercises

• Squats • Lunges

Upper extremity pulling

• Rows • Curls

Core stability

• Relaxation and breathing • Control • Routine • Alignment • Flow

Circuit training

Exercises specific to: • Themes • Equipment • Work-recovery intervals