TCE Sport Science past exams 2021–2025, by year and topic

The rest of the syllabus

Question-level mapping for these areas is still being verified. Every official paper covering them is in the year table above.

• ATP, fuels and the energy continuum — ATP connects chemical energy to muscle contraction · The phosphagen pathway supports very rapid ATP turnover · Glycolysis provides rapid support without requiring oxygen directly · Aerobic metabolism has a large capacity and a slower adjustment · Fuel availability, glycogen sparing and hitting the wall · Build an energy-continuum explanation from the sporting evidence
• Oxygen delivery, VO2 and lactate inflection — Trace oxygen from the atmosphere to the working muscle · Oxygen deficit and steady state describe the transition into exercise · Calculate absolute and relative VO2 with correct units · VO2 max is a capacity measure with several influences · Lactate inflection concerns accumulation, clearance and workload · Use oxygen and lactate evidence together without overclaiming
• Acute responses and chronic training adaptations — Separate an immediate response from a lasting adaptation · Acute cardiovascular responses distribute oxygen and heat · Acute respiratory and muscular responses meet rising demand · Endurance training adapts delivery and oxidative capacity · Resistance and high-intensity training produce specific adaptations · Interpret training evidence using fair comparisons
• Designing training for a defined sporting demand — Begin with the performance demand and a measurable objective · Apply FITT, specificity and progressive overload together · Select methods by their demands, not their names · Construct an interval session and calculate its actual duration · Organise the session and year around readiness and priorities · Monitor adaptation, fatigue and the need to revise the plan
• Fatigue, recovery and preparation for the next effort — Fatigue is task-specific and has several interacting causes · Post-exercise oxygen use supports restoration · Replenish carbohydrate, protein and fluid according to context · Evaluate active recovery and common physical techniques · Distinguish delayed soreness from immediate exercise discomfort · Plan recovery across days and recognise persistent under-recovery
• Classifying motor skills and recognising their structure — A motor skill is an organised action directed toward an objective · Fine and gross classifications concern movement precision · Discrete, continuous and serial skills differ in organisation · Open and closed skills depend on environmental predictability · Use several dimensions together rather than one master label · Classification becomes useful when it informs a coaching decision
• Learning stages and the organisation of practice — Distinguish learning from a temporary improvement in performance · The cognitive stage needs a clear goal and manageable information · Associative and autonomous performance require different support · Massed and distributed practice concern the balance of work and rest · Whole and part practice depend on the relationship between components · Fixed and varied practice help develop different capabilities
• Reaction time and feedback in skilled performance — Separate reaction time, movement time and total response time · Choice and compatibility influence the selection of a response · Anticipation can reduce delay but creates vulnerability to deception · Feedback has different sources and different informational content · Timing and amount determine whether feedback can be used · Combine timing and feedback data to make a specific intervention
• Biomechanics of force, motion and stability — Describe motion before explaining its causes · Apply Newton's laws to a clearly identified object · Momentum and impulse connect force with a change in motion · Projectile outcomes depend on release and environmental conditions · Levers relate effort, resistance and distance from an axis · Stability depends on support, centre of mass and the task
• Designing and reporting a two-dimensional movement study — Frame a focused investigation with an observable outcome · Plan ethical participation before recording anyone · Control the camera geometry and preserve a reliable time scale · Define phases, landmarks and measurements before comparing trials · Turn observations into a proportionate biomechanical interpretation · Build the individual report around a traceable evidence chain
• Information processing and memory in sporting decisions — An information-processing model explains a sequence of functions · Different senses provide complementary information · Sensory storage and short-term processing have limited usefulness without selection · Chunking and meaningful coding make information easier to organise · Long-term skill memory supports adaptation without storing one exact action · Identify interference before choosing a memory intervention
• Self-confidence, self-efficacy and evidence-based belief — Self-efficacy is confidence about a particular task · Performance accomplishments provide direct evidence of capability · Vicarious experience works through relevant models · Verbal persuasion should be credible and connected to evidence · Interpretation of physiological states can alter confidence · Calibrate confidence and review setbacks without all-or-nothing conclusions
• Goal setting that directs practice and supports review — Distinguish process, performance and outcome goals · Make the target specific enough to guide action · Link short-term steps to a longer-term direction · Challenge and ownership influence the goal's motivational value · Measure progress with a consistent denominator and meaningful comparison · Review goals without rewarding the wrong behaviour
• Competition preparation, coping plans and debriefing — Preparation reduces avoidable uncertainty before the event · At the venue, use a routine with a clear purpose · Competition cues should guide action rather than overload it · Coping plans turn foreseeable disruptions into decisions · Rehearse adaptability and distinguish discomfort from a concern requiring help · Debrief promptly, involve the athlete and separate evidence from judgement
• Motivation, self-determination and sustainable engagement — Motivation concerns the direction and persistence of action · Intrinsic and extrinsic motives can coexist · Self-determination emphasises autonomy, competence and relatedness · Amotivation requires understanding the missing connection · Use positive and negative influences carefully · Evaluate motivational strategies through behaviour and experience
• Arousal, stress and anxiety under competitive pressure — Separate activation, stress and anxiety before analysing performance · The inverted-U model proposes an optimum rather than a constant benefit · Catastrophe theory considers a sharper breakdown under combined demands · State and trait anxiety answer different questions · Choose regulation techniques according to the required direction · Evaluate a regulation strategy with repeated, task-relevant evidence
• Attentional styles, concentration and task switching — Concentration means maintaining useful attention, not attending to everything · Broad external attention supports scanning and situational awareness · Narrow external attention supports a selected environmental target · Internal attention can support analysis or a specific preparatory cue · Attentional errors often reflect mismatch and overload · Flow is an experience to understand, not a switch that guarantees success
• Mental rehearsal and multisensory imagery — Mental rehearsal represents an action without performing it fully · Internal and external perspectives highlight different information · Construct a specific multisensory script at realistic timing · Choose preplay, replay or review according to the objective · Problem-solving imagery can rehearse a response to difficulty · Evaluate imagery as an adjunct to preparation
• Designing the selected sport-science investigation — Choose a question that links a course concept to observable evidence · Define variables and choose a comparison that answers the question · Order, familiarisation and participant differences can distort a comparison · Ethics includes the procedure, relationships and data lifecycle · Record data so that calculations and exceptions can be checked · Write a discussion that answers the question rather than repeats results
• Evaluating sport-science evidence and justified recommendations — Read the measure and its direction before judging the pattern · Central tendency and variability describe different features · Association does not establish the direction or cause of an effect · Evaluate sources by method, relevance and transparency · Cross-discipline recommendations must recognise trade-offs · Communicate a recommendation as a chain from evidence to action