The modules, one by one
Each area below lists the concepts named in the course document, what the TASC exam asks of them, and the mistake that most often costs marks.
- ATP, fuels and the energy continuum
- Oxygen delivery, VO2 and lactate inflection
- Acute responses and chronic training adaptations
- Designing training for a defined sporting demand
- Fatigue, recovery and preparation for the next effort
- Classifying motor skills and recognising their structure
- Learning stages and the organisation of practice
- Reaction time and feedback in skilled performance
- Biomechanics of force, motion and stability
- Designing and reporting a two-dimensional movement study
- Information processing and memory in sporting decisions
- Self-confidence, self-efficacy and evidence-based belief
- Goal setting that directs practice and supports review
- Competition preparation, coping plans and debriefing
- Motivation, self-determination and sustainable engagement
- Arousal, stress and anxiety under competitive pressure
- Attentional styles, concentration and task switching
- Mental rehearsal and multisensory imagery
- Designing the selected sport-science investigation
- Evaluating sport-science evidence and justified recommendations
Area 1 of 20
ATP, fuels and the energy continuum
Explain ATP demand first, then compare pathway rate, capacity, fuel and recovery. All pathways contribute; predominance changes with the sporting task.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section A, Criterion 1: ATP resynthesis, fuels and changing energy-pathway contributions during exercise. Criterion 5 applies when interpreting supplied data.
Where marks go missing
Claiming that energy systems switch on one at a time.
Area 2 of 20
Oxygen delivery, VO2 and lactate inflection
Follow oxygen through ventilation, transport and muscle use. Calculate units carefully and interpret VO2, steady state and lactate-workload evidence as related but distinct measures.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section A, Criterion 1: oxygen transport, aerobic measures and physiological interpretation. Criterion 5 applies to numerical and graphical evidence.
Where marks go missing
Confusing a submaximal steady-state plateau with VO2 max.
Area 3 of 20
Acute responses and chronic training adaptations
Distinguish timescale and test condition. Link cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular changes to function, and use measured evidence to support appropriately limited conclusions.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section A: Criterion 1 covers acute physiological responses; Criterion 2 covers adaptations and responses to training. Distinguish the timescales.
Where marks go missing
Calling an increased pulse during exercise a chronic adaptation.
Area 4 of 20
Designing training for a defined sporting demand
Build a program from performance needs, specify its variables, calculate work and recovery explicitly, and adjust using evidence of both progress and readiness.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section A, Criterion 2: analyse training programs and justify changes for the stated demands and performer.
Where marks go missing
Prescribing a fashionable method before identifying the athlete's need.
Area 5 of 20
Fatigue, recovery and preparation for the next effort
Match recovery to the preceding demand and next task. Separate rapid energy restoration, fuel and fluid replacement, soreness and longer-term readiness, then monitor the response.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section A, Criterion 2: physiological responses to training and recovery, with evidence-based explanation of fatigue and recovery choices.
Where marks go missing
Attributing every form of fatigue to lactate.
Area 6 of 20
Classifying motor skills and recognising their structure
Define the action and context, then classify precision, organisation and environmental predictability separately. Use those demands to justify a specific learning or analysis decision.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section B, Criterion 3: classify and analyse skill characteristics and their implications for learning and performance.
Where marks go missing
Treating classification labels as measures of how talented the performer is.
Area 7 of 20
Learning stages and the organisation of practice
Use task-specific learning stages to select support, and organise practice around retention and transfer. Match rest, component isolation and variation to the learner and objective.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section B, Criterion 3: learning stages and practice organisation, including the distinction between acquisition performance and learning.
Where marks go missing
Equating an immediate score improvement with lasting learning.
Area 8 of 20
Reaction time and feedback in skilled performance
Measure initiation and movement separately, consider accuracy and anticipation, and use feedback that addresses the actual performance problem at a usable time.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section B, Criterion 3: reaction time and feedback in skill acquisition. Criterion 5 applies to relevant supplied data.
Where marks go missing
Calling every decrease in total response time a reaction-time improvement.
Area 9 of 20
Biomechanics of force, motion and stability
Define the object, direction and objective before applying a model. Keep motion measures, forces, momentum and moments distinct, and state the limits of simplified calculations.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section B, Criterion 3: biomechanical concepts applied to skill execution; Criterion 5 supports analysis of movement measurements.
Where marks go missing
Using distance when calculating average velocity.
Area 10 of 20
Designing and reporting a two-dimensional movement study
Choose an observable question, secure ethical approval, control recording geometry and code consistently. Report an individual evidence-based interpretation with explicit limits and a testable recommendation.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
Internal Unit 5.1 movement-analysis work requirement, drawing on Criteria 3, 5, 7 and 8. Transferable data interpretation supports external Criterion 5; this note does not replace the required investigation.
Where marks go missing
Using a calibration ruler at a different depth from the movement.
Area 11 of 20
Information processing and memory in sporting decisions
Trace information from detection to action, organise instructions meaningfully and test whether stored knowledge can be used in the relevant sporting situation.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section C, Criterion 4: information processing and memory in sporting performance. Criterion 5 applies when interpreting related evidence.
Where marks go missing
Treating the information-processing diagram as a rigid conscious sequence.
Area 12 of 20
Self-confidence, self-efficacy and evidence-based belief
Build task-specific belief through credible accomplishments, relevant models, useful messages and accurate interpretation of sensations. Keep confidence aligned with evidence and preparation.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section C, Criterion 4: self-confidence and self-efficacy, their influences and applications to performance.
Where marks go missing
Equating outward enthusiasm with high task-specific self-efficacy.
Area 13 of 20
Goal setting that directs practice and supports review
Connect outcome ambitions to actionable process and performance goals. Define measures carefully, involve the athlete and review progress against the real sporting purpose.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section C, Criterion 4: goal setting and its application to preparation, motivation and review.
Where marks go missing
Classifying every numerical target as a performance goal.
Area 14 of 20
Competition preparation, coping plans and debriefing
Plan practical requirements, rehearse a flexible routine, use actionable competition cues and prepare proportionate contingencies. Debrief with the athlete using evidence and clear next steps.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section C, Criterion 4: competition preparation and mental strategies, supported by specific sporting evidence.
Where marks go missing
Writing a generic checklist without checking the event's actual requirements.
Area 15 of 20
Motivation, self-determination and sustainable engagement
Identify the athlete's reasons and barriers, support autonomy, competence and relatedness, and evaluate whether a technique creates meaningful sustained engagement rather than compliance alone.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section C, Criterion 4: motivation and its influence on participation, preparation and performance.
Where marks go missing
Inferring low motivation from one missed session without considering barriers.
Area 16 of 20
Arousal, stress and anxiety under competitive pressure
Identify the athlete's appraisal and symptoms, compare models without overclaiming, and select a practised regulation method that moves activation in the direction the task requires.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section C, Criterion 4: arousal, stress and anxiety, including qualified application of explanatory models.
Where marks go missing
Treating arousal, stress and anxiety as identical.
Area 17 of 20
Attentional styles, concentration and task switching
Match attentional width and direction to the current phase, practise useful shifts and identify overload or mismatch from evidence. Flow is a possible experience, not a guaranteed outcome.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section C, Criterion 4: attention and concentration in sporting tasks and responses to distraction.
Where marks go missing
Equating concentration with attending to everything.
Area 18 of 20
Mental rehearsal and multisensory imagery
Choose a clear purpose, accessible sensory content, suitable perspective and realistic timing. Integrate rehearsal with physical preparation and evaluate its task-specific usefulness.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Section C, Criterion 4: mental rehearsal and imagery, with evaluation of purpose and limits.
Where marks go missing
Assuming imagery must consist of vivid visual pictures.
Area 19 of 20
Designing the selected sport-science investigation
Align the question and measurement, control plausible confounds, protect participants and retain transparent data. Interpret the result within the study's actual design and scope.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
Internal Unit 5.2 selected investigation from Unit 1, 2 or 4, drawing on Criteria 5, 7, 8 and the relevant Criterion 1, 2 or 4. It is not a separate externally submitted folio.
Where marks go missing
Choosing a convenient measure that does not represent the concept.
Area 20 of 20
Evaluating sport-science evidence and justified recommendations
Check measures and variability, distinguish association from causation, evaluate source relevance and connect recommendations to evidence. Preserve the current distinction between numeric exam marks and course criterion ratings.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
- 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
What the exam asks
External Criterion 5 in all three sections: analyse data and justify interpretations. Research access and communication also support internal Criteria 7 and 8; cross-discipline Criterion 6 remains internal.
Where marks go missing
Assuming the largest score is best without checking the scale.