MATSEC SEC Physical Education study plan

Label the major bones and joints of the axial and appendicular skeleton and classify each major joint by structure (fibrous, cartilaginous, synovial) and by the movement range it permits.

Trace the path of blood through the heart and the pulmonary and systemic circuits, and describe how heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output change from rest to steady-state aerobic exercise.

Compare slow-twitch (type I) and fast-twitch (type II) muscle fibres by structure, fatigue resistance, force production and the events each serves, giving two sporting examples of each.

Draw and annotate the sliding filament model of contraction, naming actin, myosin, calcium ions, ATP and the neuromuscular junction, and state what happens at each step.

Describe gaseous exchange at the alveoli and at skeletal muscle, including partial pressure gradients and the role of haemoglobin.

Explain the ATP-PCr, anaerobic glycolytic and oxidative energy systems by fuel source, duration, rate of ATP resynthesis and fatigue cause, then match ten named activities to their dominant system.

Describe the acute responses to exercise (heart rate, stroke volume, ventilation, blood pressure, body temperature, lactic acid accumulation) and contrast them with the chronic adaptations to aerobic and to resistance training.

Define the health-related and skill-related components of fitness and name one valid, reliable field test for each component.

Apply the FITT principle (frequency, intensity, time, type) to build an eight-week beginner aerobic programme that respects the principles of progression and recovery.

Apply specificity, overload, progression, reversibility, recovery, individual differences and variation to a single case-study athlete, quoting a concrete adjustment for each principle.

Restructure a 12-week training year into preparation, competition and transition phases, justifying the volume and intensity change at each transition.

Calculate target training intensity using percentage of estimated 1RM and using the heart-rate reserve (Karvonen) method, and explain when each method is more appropriate.

Interpret a field fitness battery (multi-stage fitness test, sit-and-reach, 30 m sprint, Illinois agility run) and convert the results into three SMART targets.

Evaluate the strengths and limitations of field tests versus laboratory tests in terms of validity, reliability, objectivity and practicality.

Classify first-, second- and third-class levers and identify the class, fulcrum, effort and load in at least four joint actions including the biceps curl, calf raise and neck extension.

Apply Newton's three laws, impulse, momentum and centre of mass to a chosen sprint start, jump or throw, explaining the coaching cue each concept implies.

Explain how the force-velocity relationship, muscle pennation angle and moment arm affect power output in a vertical jump or a throw.

Diagnose one technical error in a lift or sprint using joint angle and line-of-action reasoning, and prescribe the correction.

Review the week-3 programme and correct any exercise selection or sequencing faults using biomechanical evidence.

Classify skills on open-closed, gross-fine, discrete-serial-continuous and externally-paced-self-paced continua, giving a sporting example at each extreme.

Distinguish the cognitive, associative and autonomous stages of learning by the learner's errors, attention demands and required feedback, and match a coaching strategy to each stage.

Select massed versus distributed, whole versus part and blocked versus variable practice for three contrasting learners, and justify each choice.

Compare guidance methods (visual, verbal, manual, mechanical) and feedback types (intrinsic and extrinsic, knowledge of results and knowledge of performance, positive and negative) with examples from your own sport.

Explain arousal using the inverted-U and drive theory, define motivation and competitive anxiety, and describe two practical interventions for an over-aroused performer.

Calculate basal metabolic rate, estimated total daily energy expenditure and energy balance for a named athlete, and explain the consequence of a sustained surplus or deficit.

Explain carbohydrate loading, pre-event fuelling, protein intake for recovery and the timing of fluid and electrolyte replacement before, during and after exercise.

Evaluate two commonly used supplements and two nutrition myths against the evidence, stating who, if anyone, benefits and what the risks are.

Apply the current soft-tissue injury protocol (PEACE and LOVE) and contrast it with the older RICE approach, explaining why the change was made.

State the current adult CPR compression rate, depth and compression-to-ventilation ratio, the AED sequence, and the recognition and management of concussion, shock, severe bleeding, fracture and heat exhaustion.

Analyse projectile motion using angle of release, speed of release and height of release, and explain how each alters the range of a throw or the flight of a jump.

Explain friction, air resistance and the Magnus effect, and state one technique adjustment a performer would make in wind, on a wet surface or when imparting spin.

Discuss commercialisation, media coverage and sponsorship in sport, weighing the benefits against the risks to competitive balance, scheduling and athlete welfare.

Explain the anti-doping framework, including the principle of strict liability, therapeutic use exemptions and the reasons athletes cite for doping, and evaluate two counter-arguments.

Discuss barriers and enablers to participation by gender, disability, age, ethnicity and socio-economic status, with reference to the provision available in Malta.

Re-derive from memory the highest-yield Domain 1 content: the cardiac conduction sequence, gaseous exchange, the sliding filament model and the hormonal response to exercise.

Re-test Domain 2 with unseen questions on programme design, periodisation, intensity calculation and the principles of training, scoring higher than the week-4 mock.

Sit a full-length mock covering all eight domains under exam timing, marking it yourself against the published mark scheme and allocating marks lost by domain.

Compile a one-page error log of every recurring mistake and re-teach each entry from your notes until you can explain it without prompting.

Condense each of the eight domains onto a single revision sheet limited to the facts you have personally got wrong in practice.