There are changes to this qualification based on the outcomes of the Ofqual consultation on NEA arrangements for summer 2022. The changes are designed to reduce the pressure on teachers and students in the 2021/22 academic year, and to safeguard against ongoing public health concerns. Please read this information alongside the specification.

Overview of changes for GCSE (9–1) Physical Education

Ofqual have confirmed students can undertake two activities rather than three for assessment in summer 2022:

• two individual activities
• two team activities or
• one individual activity and one team activity

Since only two activities will need to be undertaken in summer 2022, we will weight up the mark for practical performance so that it still represents 30% of the overall qualification.

We recognise that it has been difficult for students to demonstrate competitive situations in some sports and may continue to be in some instances. For summer 2022 we are willing to accept alternative forms of evidence to help support assessments (for example, alternatives to full competition where this is not accessible such as, training times if supported with Garmin/Strava, logs of competitive performance, Power of 10, and records of school/league/county/regional performances).

For 2021/22, we would like to return to visiting moderation if possible, and if centres and moderators support this approach. However, because there is clearly some potential for further disruption, some filmed evidence will be needed so that it can be used as an alternative basis for moderation. For further details please see below contingency filming requirements for 2022.

We would also suggest that planning aims to prioritise practical NEA assessment and evidence generation in the autumn term in case disruption increases as we head into winter.

Mark submission for 2022 will be 31 March for both components:

• 100% of your practical marks, filmed evidence and competitive logs for J587/04
• 100% of your AEP marks and evidence for J587/05

Advance information

This is now available for the assessment of this qualification for summer 2022:

• Advance information finder

GCSE(9–1) Physical Education for academic year 2021/22

Students must complete all components to be awarded OCR's GCSE (9-1) in Physical Education in 2022.

Physical factors affecting performance (01) This component will assess: 1.1 Applied anatomy and physiology 1.2 Physical training	60 marks 1 hour written paper 30% of total GCSE
Socio-cultural issues and sports psychology (02) This component will assess: 2.1 Socio-cultural influences 2.2 Sports psychology 2.3 Health, fitness and well-being	60 marks 1 hour written exam 30% of total GCSE
Practical performance (04) This component will assess: Performance of two activities taken from the approved lists	40 marks, weighted up to 60 non-exam assessment (NEA) 30% of total GCSE
Analysing and evaluating performance (05) This component draws upon the knowledge, understanding and skills a student has learnt and enables them to analyse and evaluate their own or a peer’s performance in one activity	20 marks Non-exam assessment (NEA) 10% of total GCSE

Centres will be required to provide further details to support moderation later in the autumn term. Updated forms to do this and how to access them will be communicated in the coming weeks.

Contact us

You can contact us by email pe@ocr.org.uk, on Twitter @OCR_PhysEd or call on 01223 553998.

Contingency filming requirements for 2022

As we have previously communicated, in 2021/22 our plan is to fully return to visiting moderation for all of our centres. This decision has been taken following consultation with centres and moderators, and we believe it offers the fairest and most accurate method of moderation for students.

We are mindful that there is still potential for disruption for this series. This disruption may result in live moderation no longer being a viable option. If this should happen, our contingency plan would mean completing moderation using filmed evidence.

We acknowledge the additional work which gathering high quality filmed evidence can bring, especially as centres look to recover from disruption last year. But it is essential that we are able to access enough filmed evidence (potentially with very little notice) to ensure our contingency approach is as comparable as possible with our visiting moderation model.

In addition to our earlier update to ‘film where you can’ this document now clarifies for centres how much filmed evidence you should be gathering, as well as important points to consider about the number of activities and mark bands which your filmed evidence covers.

Contingency filming

Centres must film a minimum number of candidate performances overall depending on how many candidates they are assessing, as below:

Number of candidates being assessed at centre	Minimum number of filmed individual performances
Up to 10	10
11-30	15
31-100	20
100+	25

In reaching the minimum number of performances, the filmed evidence must include:

• at least three different activities in total
• at least two on-site activities (where applicable)

Centre selections in terms of filming must consider the following:

Filmed evidence of all candidates in all off-site activities must be kept as normal. These count towards the minimum number of performances needed but the requirements for a range of marks in at least two on-site activities must also be met, even if this means exceeding the minimum.

The selection of on-site activities to film must also reflect:

• candidates filmed need to reflect the range of marks in the activity, ideally including the highest, middle and lowest mark (or at least close to) in each
• the range of performance at the centre – so we would not expect activities with lots of mid-range marks to all be filmed while those with higher band marks are not filmed
• how predominant/popular the activity is – so we would expect that activities with more candidates in to feature in those filmed
• the ability to gather good quality filmed evidence in the activity

In addition to meeting the minimum criteria listed above, centres should also consider the range of activities where final marks have been submitted:

Number of on-site activities with final marks submitted by the centre	Number of on-site activities which should be included in the contingency filmed evidence
Up to 5	2
6-9	3
10+	4

It is important that you review the filmed evidence and are confident that it supports the marks awarded – there is no point teachers giving marks based on the level of performance they know a candidate is capable of but which is not shown in the filming, as the moderator is not then going to see evidence which supports the mark. The general level of performance and range and execution of skills shown has to be sufficient to warrant the level and mark awarded.

Centres must bear in mind that all candidates and activities will be subject to the moderation outcome and any adjustment to marks resulting from the sample which has been moderated. Should visiting moderation not be possible for a centre, only those candidates and activities which have filmed evidence can be part of the moderation process and review of moderation process. It is essential that centres collect good quality filmed evidence, which they will be able to share with our moderators at short notice.

Providing evidence which includes full competition conditions (carried over from 2021)

Centres should, wherever possible, provide evidence which includes full competition conditions or as close as National Governing Body (NGB) guidelines allow.

Where this is not possible, filmed evidence must show performance in competitive conditions/under competitive pressure, such as:

• game situations created in the centre
• conditioned practices with skills performed under significant pressure such that decision making can be shown in a way which is as close as possible to full competition performance conditions for the activity
• performances in authentic settings or similar (e.g. in the same performance area as in a formal competition, being judged against competition rules even if by the teacher/coach rather than an independent official, etc.)

Logs of competitive performance are even more important to document what has been possible:

• candidates should include any competitive performances which were completed from July 2020 up to the point of marks being submitted for moderation
• for some activities training times can be included in the logs if relevant but should be supported by some method i.e. Strava/Garmin etc. and verified by the teacher
• where logs rely on training times or competition has been hard to access, the filmed evidence should include performances in training to support the times being logged

We will accept other forms of evidence alongside logs of competitive performance which ensure the focus is on competition or equivalent. These will include, but are not limited to:

• other relevant sources of information such as Power of 10
• school/club/league/county records of fixtures and performance

If some candidates will be accessing full competition or full competitive training in an activity, make sure they are part of your filmed evidence and that these competitive situations are included.

Filmed evidence should be accompanied by a commentary wherever possible. These should outline where on the film candidate performances are, any identifying information (e.g. bib/number) and some brief comments on how the performance in the film justifies the level/mark awarded by the centre.

While supporting evidence of the type noted above can be used as part of the assessment process, filmed evidence of performance is the primary source of information upon which moderators will base their judgments. If filmed evidence of a candidate in the higher levels of the criteria shows few or no advanced skills, then no amount of supplementary evidence can enable the moderator to confirm the mark awarded.

Each activity filmed must be supported by evidence that is sufficient to allow the moderator to confirm the marks submitted by the centre.

Please ensure that you have film of as much of the following as possible:

• core skills in isolation/drill situations
• advanced skills (as candidate is able to) in isolation/drill situations
• full competitive situations or similar, i.e. enough to show consistency of skill performance within them – the logbook is supplementary evidence

Candidates must be filmed demonstrating their ability to perform the skills of the activity in a way which supports the mark submitted by the centre:

• show the quality and range of skills required for that mark level
• in the correct conditions where possible (so full performance, on correct pitch/surface with correct equipment)
• this allows the moderator, who has no prior knowledge of your candidate, to see enough to confirm marks

Further detailed information can be found in our guide to filming.