Welcome to A Level Physical Education.
The transition from GCSE to A Level PE requires pupils to think more analytically, critically and independently about sport, performance and human movement than ever before.
The resources below are designed to help develop your understanding of anatomy and physiology, sports psychology, skill acquisition and contemporary issues before starting Year 12.
How to use this guide
You are not expected to complete every resource listed. Instead use this guide to:
• Explore areas of interest within sport and performance
• Strengthen GCSE knowledge
• Begin developing A Level Study habits
• Engage critically with modern sport and performance issues
Academic Skills for A Level Success
Successful A Level PE pupils develop the ability to:
• Describe accurately
• Apply theory to practical sporting examples
• Explain and justify ideas using accurate terminology
• Analyse performance critically
• Evaluate strengths, weaknesses and strategies for improvement
• Link physiological, psychological and sociological concepts together
• Write detailed extended responses using evidence and examples
Helpful Academic Habits
Watch major sporting events this summer and consider:
• What energy systems are being used?
• How does pressure affect performance?
• What leadership styles are evident?
• How does fatigue impact decision-making?
• How does media influence athletes, officials and spectators?
• What role does technology play in officiating and fairness?
Suggested events may include:
• World Cup 2026
• Wimbledon
• Tour de France
• Elite athletics competitions
• Any other major international sporting events of interest
Additional Preparation Strategies
• Read sports journalism and current sporting news regularly
• Listen to sport science and performance podcasts (some ideas already given below)
• Discuss current sporting debates and controversies
• Make notes whilst watching documentaries or reading articles
• Keep physically active during the summer
Essential Preparation - Core Textbook (Highly Recommended)
Edexcel PE for A Level Year 1: This is the main textbook that aligns directly with the Edexcel specification and introduces pupils to the terminology and depth expected at A Level. Topics include:
• Skeletal and muscular systems
• Cardiovascular and respiratory systems
• Skill acquisition
• Sports psychology
• Contemporary issues in sport
• Sport Science
• Leadership
• Society and Ethics
Recommended Wider Reading
Applied Sports Psychology and Performance
• The Chimp Paradox – Dr Steve Peters: Explores emotional control, confidence, pressure management and performance psychology within elite sport.
• Atomic Habits – James Clear: Excellent for understanding habit formation, motivation, discipline and long-term performance improvement.
• Relentless – Tim Grover: Provides insight into elite mentality, resilience and the psychological demands of high-performance sport
• Mindset by Carol Dweck: Explores growth mindset, resilience and the impact of beliefs on performance and achievement
• With Winning in Mind by Lanny Bassham: Examines mental preparation, confidence and performance consistency within elite sport
Sport Science and Human Performance
• Bounce – Matthew Syed: Examines deliberate practice, mindset and the development of elite sporting performance.
• Endure – Alex Hutchinson: Explores fatigue, endurance and the physiological and psychological limits of human performance.
• The Sports Gene – David Epstein: Investigates the relationship between genetics, training and sporting success.
Sport and Society
• I Came as a Shadow – John Thompson: A powerful insight into race, leadership and inequality and social issues within sport.
• Leading – Sir Alex Ferguson: Explores leadership, culture, decision making and management in elite sport.
Skill Acquisition and Performance Development
• Peak by Anders Ericcson: Examines deliberate practice, skill development and the process of achieving expertise.
• Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed: Explores learning from mistakes, feedback and continuous improvement within performance environments.
Sport and Society
• What sport tells us about the world by Ed Smith: Examines leadership, culture, and the wider social impact of sport.
Recommended Documentaries and Series - Pupils are not expected to watch every episode or complete each series in full.
• Formula 1: Drive to Survive - Useful for analysing pressure and anxiety management, leadership and team dynamics, commercialisation and media influence and physiological and biomechanical demands of elite performance
• Full Swing - Useful for analysing motivation and confidence, pressure management and mental resilience, individual performance under scrutiny and commercialisation within professional sport
• Tour de France: Unchained - Useful for analysing aerobic endurance and fatigue, recovery and nutrition strategies, training methods and performance preparation and team dynamics and leadership
• The Last Dance - Useful for analysing leadership styles and team cohesion, motivation and competitive mindset, media influence and sporting legacy and pressure within elite sport
• Rising Phoenix - Useful for analysing disability sport and inclusion, equality and diversity in sport, media representation of athletes and the social impact of major sporting events
• Icarus - Useful for analysing drugs in sport and ethical issues, governance and corruption, performance enhancement and fairness and integrity in elite sport.
Recommended Podcasts
• High Performance Podcast: Interviews with elite athletes, coaches and performers discussing and exploring psychology, leadership, resilience and high-performance culture
• The Sports Science Podcast: Useful for developing understanding of physiology, training methods and recovery concepts and human performance
• BBC Sport Podcasts: Useful for following current sporting issues, contemporary debates and developments within modern sport
• Pacey Performance Podcast: Explores strength and conditioning, physiology, coaching and sports performance science
• Science for Sport Podcast: Useful for developing understanding of biomechanics, physiology, coaching and athlete development
• The Sport Psych Show: Focuses specifically on confidence, motivation, anxiety management and mental performance within sport
• Huberman Lab: Andrew Huberman: Useful for understanding sleep, recovery motivation, focus and human performance from a scientific perspective
Suggested Areas to Explore Before August
Anatomy and Physiology
Develop your understanding of:
● Major muscles and their functions
● Bones and joint types
● The cardiovascular and respiratory systems
● Energy systems and fatigue
● Components of fitness and methods of training
Sports Psychology
Explore key concepts including:
● Motivation
● Confidence
● Anxiety and arousal
● Leadership styles
● Goal setting and mental preparation
Sport and Society
Consider current issues including:
● Technology in sport
● Media influence and commercialisation
● Gender and race in sport
● Ethics, governance and drugs in sport
● Equality, diversity and inclusion
Optional Challenge Tasks
• Research a current and/or historical controversy within sport
• Analyse the physiological demands of your chosen sport
• Create a case study of an elite performer
• Watch a sporting event and identify examples of motivation, anxiety and leadership
• Listen to a sports science podcast and summarise the key ideas discussed
• Investigate how technology has changed modern sport
Useful Websites
• BBC Bitesize GCSE PE: Excellent for revisiting foundational knowledge before starting Year 12 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/zxbg39q
• The PE Classroom: Useful revision, retrieval and support materials https://thepeclassroom.com/
• Seneca Learning: Interactive revision activities and quizzes to reinforce key concepts and terminology https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/blog/free-edexcel-pe-gcse-revision/
• Teach PE: Clear explanations of anatomy, physiology, training methods and sports injuries https://www.teachpe.com/
Pupils are not expected to complete every recommendation within this guide. The aim is simply to begin engaging more thoughtfully with sport, performance and contemporary sporting issues before the start of Year 12.