This guide has been produced by the expert team of Physical Education teachers, authors, and learning designers at Oxford University Press Australia. It contains a clear, concise summary of the key changes to the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) General Senior Syllabus 2025 (Version 1.1) for Physical Education and is designed to help you implement the new syllabus with confidence.
c Queensland’s current senior secondary curriculum and assessment system was implemented in 2019 as part of the Queensland Government reform, Advancing futures: New senior assessment and tertiary entrance systems in Queensland.
c To ensure all QCE General Senior Syllabuses remain relevant, align with outcomes in the new Australian Curriculum 9.0 across Years 7–10, incorporate latest research in teaching and learning, and incorporate contemporary skills needed for further study and work, all learning areas are reviewed and updated from time to time.
c The review of the QCE General Senior Syllabuses began in Term 4, 2020 and involved extensive consultation and feedback from more than 8000 stakeholders (including teachers, students, parents and other educators).
c The new QCE Physical Education General Senior Syllabus 2025 (Version 1.0) was finalised in December 2023, and final documents were released in Term 1, 2024.
c The goal of the review and revisions to the syllabuses was to streamline and refine the content to allow greater depth rather than breadth of learning, as many teachers felt that the 2019 (Versions 1.0–1.4) tried to cover too much.
While the basic structure remains the same, there are some important structural changes to be aware of in the 2025 syllabus:
1. Removal of stages
The 2019 syllabus categorised the subject matter outcomes according to three stages of inquiry: Engage and understand; Apply and analyse; and Evaluate and justify.
The 2025 syllabus no longer categorises the subject matter outcomes according to stages of inquiry.
Unit 1: Motor learning, functional anatomy, biomechanics and physical activity
Topic 1: Motor learning integrated with a selected physical activity
Topic 2: Functional anatomy and biomechanics integrated with a selected physical activity
Unit 2: Sport psychology, equity and physical activity
Topic 1: Sport psychology integrated with a selected physical activity
Topic 2: Equity — barriers and enablers
Unit 3: Tactical awareness, ethics and integrity and physical activity
Topic 1: Tactical awareness integrated with one selected ‘Invasion’ or ‘Net and court’ physical activity
Topic 2: Ethics and integrity
Unit 4: Energy, fitness and training and physical activity
Topic 1: Energy, fitness and training integrated with one selected ‘Invasion’, ‘Net and court’ or ‘Performance’ physical activity
Unit 1: Motor learning, functional anatomy and biomechanics in physical activity
Topic 1: Motor learning in physical activity
Topic 2: Functional anatomy and biomechanics in physical activity
Unit 2: Sport psychology and equity in physical activity
Topic 1: Sport psychology in physical activity
Topic 2: Equity — barriers and enablers
Unit 3: Tactical awareness and ethics in physical activity
Topic 1: Tactical awareness in physical activity
Topic 2: Ethics and integrity in physical activity
Unit 4: Energy, fitness and training in physical activity
Topic 1: Energy, fitness and training integrated in physical activity
© State of Queensland (QCAA) 2019 and 2025 www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/copyright.
Unit 1
4. Analyse and synthesise data to devise strategies about motor learning and biomechanics
5. Evaluate motor learning, biomechanical and movement strategies
6. Justify motor learning, biomechanical and movement strategies
Unit 2
2. Demonstrate specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in the selected physical activity
3. Apply concepts to specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in the selected physical activity
Unit 3
2. Demonstrate specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in the selected physical activity
3. Apply concepts to specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in the selected physical activity
Unit 4
1. Recognise and explain energy, fitness and training concepts and principles about the selected physical activity
2. Demonstrate specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in the selected physical activity
3. Apply concepts to specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in the selected physical activity
4. Analyse and synthesise data to devise strategies about motor learning, functional anatomy and biomechanics
5. Evaluate motor learning, functional anatomy, biomechanical concepts and principles and movement strategies
6. Justify motor learning, functional anatomy, biomechanical concepts and principles and movement strategies
2. Demonstrate specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in selected physical activities
3. Apply concepts to specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in selected physical activities
2. Demonstrate specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in selected physical activities
3. Apply concepts to specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in selected physical activities
1. Recognise and explain energy, fitness and training concepts and principles about physical activity
2. Demonstrate specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in selected physical activities
3. Apply concepts to specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in selected physical activities
© State of Queensland (QCAA) 2019 and 2025 www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/copyright.
4. Weighting changes to assessments
c All four assessments are now worth 25% each:
Đ IA2 has increased from 20%
Đ IA3 has decreased from 30%. 2019
c The assessment objectives for each of the Project – folios have changed (as outlined in the table below):
2019 (Versions 1.3 & 1.4)
2025 (Version 1.1)
1. Recognise and explain constraints, principles of decision-making and body and movement concepts about specialised movement sequences and movement strategies REMOVED
2. Demonstrate specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in authentic performance environments
3. Apply concepts to specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in authentic performance environments
4. Analyse and synthesise data to devise a tactical strategy for optimising performance of one movement strategy
5. Evaluate a tactical strategy and movement strategies relevant to the selected physical activity
5. Justify a tactical strategy and movement strategies relevant to the selected physical activity
7. Make decisions about and use language, conventions and mode-appropriate features to communicate information about strategies to a technical audience
1. Recognise and explain energy, fitness and training, and body and movement concepts and principles about specialised movement sequences and movement strategies
2. Demonstrate specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in authentic performance environments
3. Apply concepts to specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in authentic performance environments
4. Analyse and synthesise data to devise a training strategy for optimising performance of the specialised movement sequences and one movement strategy
5. Evaluate a training strategy and movement strategies relevant to the selected physical activity
6. Justify a training strategy and movement strategies relevant to the selected physical activity
7. Make decisions about and use language, conventions and mode-appropriate features to communicate information about strategies to a technical audience
2. Demonstrate specialised movement sequences and movement strategies
3. Apply concepts to specialised movement sequences and movement strategies
4. Analyse and synthesise data to devise a constraints-led learning activity/practice to provide opportunity for the emergence of a tactical strategy for optimising performance of one movement strategy
5. Evaluate a tactical strategy and movement strategies relevant to the selected physical activity
6. Justify a tactical strategy and movement strategies relevant to the selected physical activity
7. Make decisions about and use language, conventions and mode-appropriate features to communicate information about strategies to a technical audience
2. Demonstrate specialised movement sequences and movement strategies
3. Apply concepts to specialised movement sequences and movement strategies
4. Analyse and synthesise data to devise a training strategy for optimising performance of the specialised movement sequences and one movement strategy
5. Evaluate a training strategy and movement strategies relevant to the selected physical activity
6. Justify a training strategy and movement strategies relevant to the selected physical activity
7. Make decisions about and use language, conventions and mode-appropriate features to communicate information about strategies to a technical audience
© State of Queensland (QCAA) 2019 and 2025 www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/copyright.
6. Reordering of subject matter dot points throughout to align with ISMGs for assessment tasks
c ‘analyse and synthesise primary and secondary data’ moved up in all topics
c ‘justify the development of a strategy’ moved up and separated from ‘justify maintenance or modification of the strategy’
7. Changes to ISMGs
c IA1 and IA3:
Đ ‘explaining’ removed – greater focus on higher-order cognition
Đ ‘justifying and evaluating’ separated into two criteria and number of allocated marks increased
Đ ‘demonstrating and applying’ moved down; top band is now ‘effective demonstration’ (accomplished and proficient’ removed)
Đ ‘communicating’ reduced from 3 to 2 bands
c IA2:
Đ ‘justifying and evaluating’ separated into two criteria and number of allocated marks increased
Đ ‘evaluating’ now comes before ‘justifying’
Đ ‘communicating’ reduced from 3 to 2 bands
8. Assessment information in the new syllabuses (including ISMGs) has been restructured and rewritten
c All assessment information has been revised and a simplified syllabus structure makes finding this information easier. All assessment information (including Internal and External Assessment specifications) now appears at the end of the document.
c ISMGs have been revised to make marking clearer and distinguishing grades more equitable.
c Characteristics have been shortened, simplified and broken down to make allocating marks easier and more transparent (as shown in the example below).
c To reduce the time required to engage with the QCE PE General Senior Syllabus, it is now more concise, less repetitive and shorter overall.
c Generic content has been removed so the syllabuses only contain information relevant to designing a course of study.
c A new Response requirements section ensures task requirements are clear.
c Plain language is now used throughout each syllabus simplifying the way content is communicated and making requirements easier to understand.
c A simplified syllabus structure makes information easier to find. Each syllabus now contains three main sections:
1. Course overview
2. Units and Topics
3. Assessment.
c Updated syllabus formatting improves accessibility. Using plain language also ensures the syllabuses can be understood by a diverse audience, including teachers, parents/carers and students.
The following table provides a high-level summary of specific changes to the subject matter across Units 1 & 2 and Units 3 & 4. Only significant content changes have been identified – this includes whole dot points as well as smaller changes (indicated in blue for added text and strike-through for deleted text). Other content descriptors have been also refined and clarified, so please visit the QCAA website for details.
Units What’s been added or changed? What’s been removed?
1&2
UNIT 1: MOTOR LEARNING, FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY AND BIOMECHANICS IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Topic 1: Motor learning in physical activity
Đ Implement the motor learning strategy and movement strategies to gather primary data about the outcomes implications and limitations of the strategy.
Đ Use secondary data to analyse how motor learning concepts and principles can influence performance in the selected physical activity.
Topic 2: Functional anatomy and biomechanics in physical activity
Đ Recognise, explain and calculate biomechanical concepts …
Đ Identify and explore the two types of isotonic muscle contractions (concentric and eccentric) and isometric muscle contractions in physical activity.
Đ Recognise and explain that reciprocal inhibition describes the process of muscles on one side of a joint relaxing to accommodate muscle contraction on the other side of the joint in order to produce movement. Reciprocal inhibition involves the use of agonist and antagonist muscles and stabilisers
Đ Implement the biomechanical strategies to gather primary data about the outcomes implications and limitations of the decisions.
Đ Make decisions about and use language, conventions and mode-appropriate features for particular purposes and contexts.
Topic 1: Sport psychology in physical activity
Đ Recognise and explain the concept of …
– arousal as a continuum from relaxed drowsiness, wakefulness, curiosity and attentiveness to joy, exhilaration, anxiety, panic and rage, including inverted U theory…
Đ Implement the sport psychology strategies and movement strategies to gather primary data about the outcomes implications and limitations of decisions
Đ Make decisions about and use language, conventions and mode-appropriate features for particular purposes and contexts.
Đ Identify and explore dynamic ecological models of learning, including dynamic systems theory and the ecological model.
Đ Recognise and explain that the ecological model focuses more on how an individual the motor control system interacts with the environment…
Đ Recognise and explain that a constraints-led approach to learning can be developed by combining an is a physical education teaching methodology that combines an understanding of the dynamic systems theory, which considers the constraints on the motor control system individual, and the ecological model, which considers how the system interacts with the environment.
Đ Implement tactical and movement strategies to gather primary data about the outcomes implications and limitations of decisions
Đ Make decisions about and use language, conventions and mode-appropriate features for particular purposes and contexts.
Đ Propose or implement the ethics strategies to gather primary data about the potential outcome implications and limitations about decisions.
Đ Make decisions about and use language, conventions and mode-appropriate features for particular purposes and contexts.
© State of Queensland (QCAA) 2024 www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/copyright.
Topic 1: Energy, fitness and training integrated in physical activity
Đ Recognise and explain physiological responses to training, including
– VO2 max
– lactate threshold
lung capacity
– the effects on slow and fast twitch muscle fibres
hypertrophy
– stroke volume
– cardiac output
Đ Recognise and explain the application of the principles of training in physical activity, including…
– reversibility — the reversal of adaptations due to a cease in training or training load…
Đ Identify and explore the application of training methods for physical activity…
Đ Recognise and explain how the application of different training phases can be sequenced to form an annual plan…
Đ Use primary and secondary data to…
– ascertain the most significant relationships between the competition-phase training strategy, energy…
Đ Optimise performance in the selected physical activity by devising one personal competitionphase training strategy for a mesocycle or microcycle …
Đ Justify the development of the competition-phase training strategy and movement strategies using evidence from primary data and secondary data.
Đ Implement sessions from the competition-phase training strategy to gather primary data about the outcomes implications and limitations of decisions.
Đ Reflect on primary data and secondary data to evaluate the effectiveness of the competitionphase training strategy to achieve a determined outcome…
Đ Justify maintenance or modification of the competition-phase training strategy using evidence from primary data and secondary data.
Đ Make decisions about and use language, conventions and mode-appropriate features for particular purposes and contexts.
© State of Queensland (QCAA) 2024 www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/copyright.
QCE PE General Senior Syllabus 2025 (Version 1.1) will have a phased familiarisation and implementation across 2024–2026 as follows:
1 & 2
3 & 4
c Implementation is mandatory from Term 1, 2025 for Units 1 & 2
c Implementation is mandatory from Term 1, 2026 for Units 3 & 4
c Students completing their end-of-year External Assessments in 2026 will be the first cohort to be assessed against the new 2025 syllabuses.
Schools delivering compressed curriculum (i.e. completing Units 1–4 in one year) should:
c continue to deliver the 2019 syllabuses with students in 2025
c implement the new 2025 syllabuses with students in 2026.
