VCE Physical Education most tested topics
Across the six VCAA Physical Education external papers from 2020 to 2025, How are movement skills improved? carries 31.2% of the marks against 0.7% for Integrated movement experiences, so the paper rewards How are movement skills improved? more than any other topic. At dot-point level 3.1.3 carries 12.4% of paper marks, and nine of the 45 dot points that the board assesses externally have not appeared in one of these papers. Every percentage below covers the 99.9% of marks that map to a study design dot point.
Computed from 6 VCAA Physical Education external papers, 2020 to 2025: 157 questions, 328 question parts and 710 marks.
Unit, topic and dot-point shares below are of the 709 marks that map to a dot point, so each of those tables adds to 100%. 132 of the 328 parts are assessed against more than one dot point, and their 396 marks are divided evenly between the dot points they cover.
What these papers are
| Year | Exam | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Exam | 28 | 110 |
| 2024 | Exam | 26 | 120 |
| 2023 | Exam | 26 | 120 |
| 2022 | Exam | 26 | 120 |
| 2021 | Exam | 26 | 120 |
| 2020 | Exam | 25 | 120 |
Marks by unit
| Unit | Share of marks |
|---|---|
| Unit 3: Movement skills and energy for physical activity, sport and exercise | 58.5% |
| Unit 4: Training to improve performance | 41.5% |
Marks by topic
| Topic | Share of marks | Papers it appears in | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| How are movement skills improved? | 31.2% | 6 of 6 | 6 of 6 |
| How does the body produce energy? | 27.3% | 6 of 6 | 6 of 6 |
| How is training implemented effectively to improve fitness? | 27.2% | 6 of 6 | 6 of 6 |
| What are the foundations of an effective training program? | 13.6% | 6 of 6 | 6 of 6 |
| Integrated movement experiences | 0.7% | 2 of 6 | 2 of 6 |
Marks by dot point
Dot-point numbers and wording are VCAA's own. Where a dot point is written as a list, its items run together here separated by semicolons.
| Dot point | Content | Topic | Share of marks | Papers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1.3 | considerations when coaching to enhance participation and performance sociocultural factors that affect skill development; characteristics of the 3 stages of learning (cognitive, associative and autonomous); theories of skill acquisition (linear vs non-linear) applied through direct and constraint-based approaches; psychological skills (confidence, motivation, optimal arousal and concentration) and accompanying strategies; scheduling of practice including type (part and whole), distribution (massed and distributed) and variability (blocked and random); frequency and type of feedback including intrinsic and augmented (knowledge of results and knowledge of performance) | How are movement skills improved? | 12.4% | 6 of 6 |
| 3.1.4 | biomechanical principles for analysis of human movement linear and angular concepts of human movement including force/torque, momentum, impulse and speed/velocity; Newton’s 3 laws of linear motion: inertia, acceleration and action-reaction; projectile motion (height, angle and speed of release); anatomical third-class levers (axis, force, resistance and mechanical advantage); equilibrium: stability (centre of gravity, base of support and line of gravity) | How are movement skills improved? | 9.2% | 6 of 6 |
| 3.2.4 | the interplay of energy systems in relation to the intensity and duration of physical activity, sport and exercise | How does the body produce energy? | 6.4% | 6 of 6 |
| 3.2.3 | the 3 energy systems (ATP-CP, anaerobic glycolysis and aerobic), including their fuels (chemical and food); rate and yield of each system; their contribution at rest and varying intensities; and recovery rates associated with active and passive recovery | How does the body produce energy? | 6.3% | 6 of 6 |
| 4.2.5 | chronic adaptations of the cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular systems to aerobic, anaerobic and resistance training that produce improvements in max; lactate inflection point (LIP); speed and force of muscular contraction; lactate tolerance | How is training implemented effectively to improve fitness? | 5.9% | 6 of 6 |
| 4.2.4 | training methods, including continuous, interval (short, intermediate, long and HIIT), fartlek, circuit, weight/resistance, flexibility and plyometrics | How is training implemented effectively to improve fitness? | 5.7% | 6 of 6 |
| 4.2.3 | training program principles, including frequency, intensity, time/duration, type, progression, specificity, individuality, diminishing returns, variety, maintenance, tapering, overtraining and detraining | How is training implemented effectively to improve fitness? | 5.0% | 6 of 6 |
| 4.1.2 | factors affecting fitness components required in physical activity, sport or exercise (aerobic power, anaerobic capacity, muscular strength, power and endurance, flexibility, balance, coordination, speed and agility) | What are the foundations of an effective training program? | 4.8% | 6 of 6 |
| 4.1.3 | assessment of fitness for an activity the purpose of fitness testing from physiological and psychological perspectives; pre-participation health screening and informed consent; standardised, recognised fitness tests that test appropriately identified physiological requirements; test reliability, validity and accuracy | What are the foundations of an effective training program? | 4.8% | 5 of 6 |
| 3.2.2 | acute physiological responses to exercise in the cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular systems | How does the body produce energy? | 4.1% | 6 of 6 |
| 4.2.11 | explain how the chronic adaptations of the cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular systems to training lead to improved performance | How is training implemented effectively to improve fitness? | 3.7% | 6 of 6 |
| 3.2.1 | oxygen uptake at rest and during physical activity and recovery, including oxygen deficit, steady state and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) | How does the body produce energy? | 3.3% | 6 of 6 |
These 12 dot points carry 71.6% of the paper marks between them. Another 24 assessed dot points share the rest, and 9 of the 45 externally assessable dot points have not been assessed in any of these 6 papers. Content that has not appeared is still examinable.
What has moved between papers
Comparing the 2020 to 2022 papers with the 2023 to 2025 papers, three topics have moved by more than 3.0 percentage points.
| Topic | 2020 to 2022 share | 2023 to 2025 share | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|
| How are movement skills improved? | 34.8% | 27.6% | down 7.2 points |
| How does the body produce energy? | 29.4% | 25.1% | down 4.3 points |
| How is training implemented effectively to improve fitness? | 23.5% | 31.0% | up 7.5 points |
How the papers are built
Short answer carries 85.2% of the marks across these 6 papers.
| Question type | Share of marks | Marks | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short answer | 85.2% | 605 | 232 |
| Multiple choice | 13.4% | 95 | 95 |
| Extended response | 1.4% | 10 | 1 |
| Verb | Share of marks | Marks | Parts |
|---|---|---|---|
| explain | 30.7% | 218 | 67 |
| discuss | 10.0% | 71 | 17 |
| describe | 8.3% | 59 | 24 |
| identify | 6.9% | 49 | 27 |
| outline | 6.1% | 43 | 23 |
| justify | 5.4% | 38 | 12 |
| analyse | 4.1% | 29 | 6 |
| evaluate | 3.5% | 25 | 6 |
What these percentages do not tell you
Where to practise
Every topic above links to its own page of real VCAA questions with marking criteria and average scores attached: How are movement skills improved?, How does the body produce energy?, How is training implemented effectively to improve fitness?, What are the foundations of an effective training program? and Integrated movement experiences. For how students actually score on this content, read VCE Physical Education hardest topics, and for the full question bank start at VCE Physical Education.
Frequently asked questions
Which topic carries the most marks in the VCE Physical Education external exam?
How are movement skills improved? carries 31.2% of the marks across the 6 VCAA papers from 2020 to 2025, ahead of How does the body produce energy? on 27.3%.
How are marks split between question types in the VCE Physical Education exam?
Short answer carries 85.2% of the marks, multiple choice carries 13.4% of the marks and extended response carries 1.4% of the marks, measured across 6 papers and 710 marks from 2020 to 2025.
Has the topic balance changed in recent VCE Physical Education papers?
Yes. How are movement skills improved? moved down 7.2 percentage points, How does the body produce energy? moved down 4.3 percentage points and How is training implemented effectively to improve fitness? moved up 7.5 percentage points between the 2020 to 2022 and 2023 to 2025 papers.
How many past papers is this VCE Physical Education analysis based on?
6 VCAA external papers from 2020 to 2025, covering 157 questions and 710 marks. 0.1% of those marks carry no dot-point mapping and sit outside the percentages.
Sources
- VCE Physical Education Examination, VCAA, 2025. 6 papers, 2020 to 2025, covering 157 questions and 710 marks. Listed individually in the table at the top of this guide. Dot-point numbering follows the current VCAA Physical Education study design.
Syllabus and assessment material referenced in this guide is reproduced by permission, © VCAA. See our VCAA licensing notice. The VCAA does not endorse or make any warranties regarding this study resource. VCE® is a registered trademark of the VCAA.
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