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2026 QCE Physical Education exam: What to learn from last year's mistakes
Hi all, in preparation for the upcoming exam, here's what to learn from last year's mistakes.
2025 exam median and average: not stated in QCAA's report.
5,402 students completed Units 3 and 4 across the General and alternative sequences. The General exam was worth 55 raw marks and contributed 25% of the subject result.
The extended response alone was 17/55 marks, or 30.9% of the paper. I've gone through last year's report and marking guide. These are the questions I'd redo.
QCAA doesn't give written-question averages. The written sections below explain where an answer misses the criteria, not how many students made each mistake. This covers the General paper.
Q1: Energy-system fuel sources
1 mark. 53.93% correct, the second-lowest multiple-choice result.
Where students went wrong: 22.68% chose ATP/PC for the system using muscle glycogen as a main fuel source.
What they should have done: Choose the lactic acid system. ATP/PC uses phosphocreatine to replenish ATP rapidly. The lactic acid system uses carbohydrate through anaerobic glycolysis. The aerobic system can also use carbohydrate, so don't memorise glycogen as exclusive to one system.
Q11: Lactate threshold and VO₂ max
6 marks: two for identification and four for explanation.
Where an answer loses marks: Naming and defining the concepts without linking them to performance.
What you needed: A higher lactate threshold lets an athlete sustain a higher intensity before lactate accumulates faster than it can be removed. VO₂ max is the maximum rate of oxygen uptake and use during exercise; a higher value supports greater aerobic energy production. Each performance link earned its own mark.
Q12: Energy systems in a 10 km run
10 marks: four in part a and six in part b.
Where an answer loses marks: Saying a 10 km run is aerobic and ignoring the changes in intensity.
What you needed: Identify the aerobic and lactic acid systems and use the kilometre splits as evidence. The guide links kilometres 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 10 to the lower-intensity periods, with a greater anaerobic contribution at kilometres 3, 7, 8 and 9.
Part b also needed fuel sources and an explanation of ATP resynthesis. Explain aerobic use of carbohydrate with oxygen and anaerobic use of carbohydrate during higher-intensity periods. The systems contribute together; one doesn't completely switch off.
Q13: Training methods
12 marks: three in part a and nine in part b.
Where an answer loses marks: Naming the methods without explaining why they suit the sport or giving an example.
What you needed: Continuous training for long-distance pool swimming, aerobic intervals for road cycling, and fartlek for cross-country running.
For example, varying pace and terrain during a fartlek run reflects the changing demands of cross-country. That gives the method, why it suits the activity and how to apply it. Part b allocated three marks per activity, so do that for each one.
Q14: Evaluate the training session
17 marks.
Where an answer loses marks: Describing the session or suggesting changes without explaining why they fix a limitation.
What you needed: Justify two fitness components using the stimulus. The report's example used muscular endurance and power. For each component, justify one strength and two limitations: two strengths and four limitations overall.
Then evaluate the training methods and principles and justify two modifications addressing identified limitations. The marking allocation was 3 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 3. Adding more training without explaining what it fixes doesn't meet those criteria.
For 2026, perusal time is five minutes instead of fifteen. The personal training strategy requirement is no longer specifically restricted to the competition phase. Use the old paper with the current syllabus.
Use the 2025 report alongside the official marking guide. 2026 syllabus changes.
Figures and criteria: QCAA. Explanations paraphrased from its materials, © State of Queensland (QCAA) 2025–2026, CC BY 4.0.
Use the Physical Education hub and past papers and marking guides alongside this.
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