Cambridge Lower Secondary

Assessment guidance for Cambridge Lower

Secondary Physical Education

Purposes for assessment

Whenever we decide to assess learners, we need to be clear about why we are doing so. Why we assess
learners (our selected purposes) will influence how and when we choose to do this. Here are three purposes
for assessing Lower Secondary learners.

1. Assessment to give information about current learning and to inform next steps
This type of assessment should happen every day during classroom activities. Whenever learners
demonstrate their current learning you can use this information to give them feedback and to inform your
next steps for them and the class.

The aim of this type of assessment is to uncover what a learner, or group of learners, currently knows,
understands, or can or cannot do. This allows you, as the teacher, to give timely and specific feedback to
help them improve. It will also inform next steps (for example, it will help you to decide whether to spend
more time on a learning objective, to go back to prior learning or to move on).

When this is the main purpose of an assessment, it is important to retain details rather than summarise
information as a single grade. For example, if a learner is to improve, it is much more useful to say ‘if you
hold your arms out wider and keep your eyes focused on one thing in front of you then you will balance
better’ than to say ‘you are not balancing well’ or ‘you did that at a Grade B level’.

These informal, regular assessments are very important because you can make ongoing changes to
maximise progress during the learning process, rather than waiting until the end of a period of study.
Using assessments in this way can be called Assessment for Learning (AfL), formative assessment or
using assessment formatively. You can find information and advice on this process in Section 5 of the
Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education Teacher Guide.

2. Assessment to summarise achievement over a period of learning to give a grade

This type of assessment happens towards the end of a period of study (for example, a topic of study,
term, semester or stage). It aims to provide a summary that describes how well a learner has mastered
the knowledge, concepts and skills described in the learning objectives they have been learning over that
period.

The summary is often a grade which describes a level of performance. Common examples of grades
include bronze / silver / gold; working towards expected standard / at expected standard / above expected
standard; and letters or numbers.

The grade given can be used to compare a learner’s overall performance in different subjects or to
compare the performance of learners in different classes, stages or schools. For example, Cambridge
Lower Secondary Checkpoint for English, English as a Second Language, Mathematics, Science and
Global Perspectives all provide a grade or standardised score. Assessments used in this way can be
called summative assessments.

Assessment guidance for Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education 1

 3. Assessment to inform learners about whether to continue to study for a qualification
in the subject
It can be helpful for learners completing Lower Secondary Physical Education to experience some of the
approaches that are used to assess IGCSE™ Physical Education. This can help inform their decision on
whether to continue studying for a qualification in this subject.

Although many Cambridge Lower Secondary subjects have a Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint, there
is no Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint for Physical Education. This document provides guidance on
other ways to assess Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education.

The rest of this guidance is in two sections:

 Section 1 is relevant for learners in any stage of Lower Secondary Physical Education.
 Section 2 is designed for learners who have completed Lower Secondary Physical Education. It shows
one way that you can give your learners an experience of some of the assessment approaches used in
IGCSE Physical Education.

Assessment guidance for Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education 2

 Section 1 (for all Lower Secondary learners)

Activities that can be used for assessing Physical Education

It is a common misconception that different activities are used for different types of assessment. Often the
same activities can provide information which you can use for your intended assessment purpose (i.e. to give
information on current learning and to inform next steps, to summarise achievement over a period of learning
or to inform learners about whether to continue to study for a qualification in the subject).

When deciding what activities and tasks to use to assess your learners in Cambridge Lower Secondary
Physical Education, you may wish to note the following points:

 Your learners will show what they know, understand and can do in different ways. Some assessments
can be based on what learners write or say in response to questions (for example, in group discussions).
But in Lower Secondary Physical Education some of the most relevant evidence will be what learners
demonstrate through movement.
 Give your learners the opportunity to perform tasks that reflect their age and attainment. The suggested
activities in the schemes of work give suggestions of age-appropriate activities, although you can
substitute these for other activities. Opportunities for assessing Lower Secondary Physical Education
include:
o during warm ups and cool downs (e.g. observing learners demonstrating their understanding of what
a dynamic stretch is during a warm-up)
o during low pressure (practice) situations (e.g. engaging in a collaborative gymnastics task in small
groups)
o during higher pressure (competitive or performance) situations (e.g. engaging in an end of unit team
athletics event)
o when learners are leading or organising others (e.g. designing a competitive team game in small
groups for other learners to participate in, or when in adventure-based group challenges)
o when learners are being officials (e.g. referees or umpires)
o when learners are discussing their creative ideas
o through recordings or performances of compositions.
 Learners should have experience of several types of physical activity. You can choose how many of
these you wish to assess.
 A single piece of work or activity is unlikely to cover all of the learning objectives although it may cover
learning from more than one. Aim to build a more comprehensive representation of learners’ knowledge
by looking at learners’ work and performances in a range of contexts and through a range of activities.
 Seek to identify whether a learner can consistently achieve a learning objective over a period of time
rather than focusing on a single piece of work.
 It can be very powerful to involve learners in identifying their progress and next steps. In Lower
Secondary Physical Education you can use film recordings to record the process a learner used to
improve their knowledge or skills as well as to identify how their knowledge and skills came together in
their final work or performance.

Assessment guidance for Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education 3

 Recording achievement
We strongly recommend that you agree an approach within your school which means that records are simple,
quick and easy to keep and maintain. Extensive, frequent record keeping can easily distract you from more
important classroom activities.

The learning objectives in the curriculum framework provide a structure against which learners’ knowledge,
understanding and skills development can be checked. One possible approach for checking progress against
the learning objectives is:

Working towards the learning At standard of learning Above standard of learning

objective objective objective

Learners can apply some, but Learners can apply the Learners can apply the
not all, of the knowledge, knowledge, understanding knowledge, understanding and
understanding and/or skills and/or skills described in the skills described in the learning
described in the learning learning objective in some objective in a wide range of
objective in limited contexts contexts, especially familiar contexts, including unfamiliar
only. and simple contexts. and complex contexts.

Learners may demonstrate Learners may start to

some of the knowledge, demonstrate some of the
understanding and/or skills knowledge, understanding
described in the learning and/or skills described in the
objectives for a lower stage. learning objectives for a higher
stage.

A possible method for recording progress based on this approach is described below.

Have a look at this description of a Stage 7 learner.

Diana has developed a broad range of knowledge, skills and understanding in physical education. She is
particularly confident in gymnastics and leads others in this activity, helping them to perform and understand
related skills and compositional work. As she undertakes gymnastics activities at a local club, her in-depth
knowledge of skills is impressive. For example, in physical education lessons she can confidently break down
skills such as handstands and cartwheels, help teach these to other learners, and then evaluate them. She
creates and applies success criteria with relative ease in gymnastics, and has a developing knowledge of
success criteria in other activities. Diana varies skills and sequences to make them more interesting, taking on
board advice about movement concepts such as space and dynamics. Diana is responsive to questions and
always keen to better her analysis and evaluation processes. Diana is less enthusiastic about performing in
other activities such as games, athletics and dance, but she still enjoys observing others and offers sound
suggestions for improvement in all areas of physical education. Her knowledge of tactics and strategies is less
strong, but she can apply these with support and guidance from other learners or the teacher.

Assessment guidance for Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education 4

 Here is an example with learning objectives from the Understanding Movement strand. It records whether
this learner is working towards, at, or above the standard of each learning objective.

Understanding Movement Working towards /

At / Above
789UM.01 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a range of activity- Above expected
specific vocabulary through movement and evaluation processes. standard
789UM.02 Demonstrate an understanding of actions, dynamics, space and Above expected
relationships, and through movement and evaluation processes. standard
789UM.03 Create and apply success criteria to own and others’ movement At expected standard
performances, and discuss and explain choices of ideas, tactics and strategies,
understanding how these processes can maximise success across a range of
physical activities.
789UM.04 Demonstrate and explain reasons for choices of rules, tactics, strategies Working towards
and compositional ideas, applying these concepts within a range of physical expected standard
activities.

For subjects with many learning objectives (such as Physical Education) keeping records for every learning
objective may be too time-consuming. In this case you may want to record progress for each of the six
strands.

Giving feedback to learners

Your records can be used to give feedback to learners. For example, you can discuss with a learner their
progress towards particular learning objectives and what they need to do to improve further. This is particularly
important if your purpose for assessment is to give information about current learning and next steps.

You can find more information on giving feedback in Section 5.5 of the Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical
Education Teacher Guide.

Assessment guidance for Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education 5

 Reporting results
This section applies to anyone who is responsible for deciding the reporting strategy for their school or subject.

Consider these different styles of reports and their accompanying strengths and weaknesses.

Report 1: a summary statement for the subject

Physical Education At expected standard.

Report 1 is simple to understand and makes it easy to compare a learner’s attainment between subjects. It is
likely that this style of report will require limited record keeping by teachers. However, there is not enough
information to indicate how an individual learner might make progress.

Report 2: a summary statement for the subject and a comment

Physical At expected standard. Participates very well. Aim to
Education develop creative ideas through use
of mirroring and contrast.

Report 2 is similar to Report 1 but the additional comment lets teachers give some feedback on how to
progress further.

Report 3: a summary statement for each curriculum strand

Physical Education At expected standard.
Moving Well At expected standard.
Understanding Movement At expected standard
Moving Creatively Working towards expected standard.
Taking Part Above expected standard.
Taking Responsibility At expected standard
Healthy Bodies At expected standard

Report 3 is still simple to understand but might require more time for teachers to complete than Reports 1 or 2.
It allows learners, and their parents, to identify strengths and areas for improvement within a subject as well as
compare between subjects.

Report 4: a summary statement for every learning objective (excerpt)

Physical Education
789MW.01 Select and apply a range of increasingly complex At expected
movement skills and techniques. standard.
789MW.02 Perform, combine and apply a variety of movement Working towards
skills in complex sequences. expected standard.
789MW.03 Develop and exhibit movement skills, At expected
demonstrating precision, control, fluency and variety in a range standard.
of familiar and unfamiliar physical activities.
789MW.04 Move confidently and competently in known and Above expected
less predictable contexts, showing the ability to navigate the standard.
demands of different contexts and roles, and select appropriate
skills, knowledge and risk assessment strategies to meet them.

Assessment guidance for Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education 6

 Report 4 is a much more detailed and extensive document as it lists every learning objective. This level of
detail can be confusing for non-specialists to understand (i.e. parents) but can help identify particular areas of
strength and areas for improvement.

You can choose to use different styles of reports at different times of the year. For example, you could use
Report 2 at the end of Terms 1 and 2. Then you could have a fuller report in the style of Report 3 at the end of
the school year.

Whichever type of report you choose to use, it is important that it provides value to learners and parents. It is
also important that it does not take too much time for teachers to produce. Teachers can also get value from
monitoring the progress of a class by identifying areas that their current class needs more time on, and ways
to improve their teaching for future classes.

Assessment guidance for Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education 7

 Section 2 (for learners at the end of Lower Secondary)
The guidance in this section will help you give learners at the end of Lower Secondary an introductory
experience of some of the assessment approaches that are used in IGCSE Physical Education. We have
designed this assessment for learners at the end of Stage 9 (approximately 14 years old).

For IGCSE Physical Education, learners are assessed on their performance in a range of physical activities,
their understanding of theoretical principles and their ability to apply theoretical principles to a variety of
physical activities (including analysis and evaluation of performance).

We have produced descriptors for Lower Secondary Physical Education which provide an introduction to this
assessment approach while matching the emphasis on movement and performance in that you will find within
the curriculum framework.

The descriptors are organised into two main areas, Performance and Theory in Practice, with the aspects
listed below. When taken together these aspects cover the skills, knowledge and understanding that would be
expected of someone who had completed Lower Secondary Physical Education. The descriptors themselves
appear in the table which starts on page 10.

These are the main areas and aspects for assessing Lower Secondary Physical Education:

Performance
 Coordinated
 Fluent
 Consistent and accurate
 Awareness of others
 Warm up and cool down

Theory in Practice
 Analysis and improvement
 Healthy lifestyle

For each aspect, there are three descriptors and guidance that explains in more detail what to look for.

A learner who demonstrated the:

 highest descriptor would be very well prepared to begin studying IGCSE Physical Education
 middle descriptor would be prepared to begin studying IGCSE Physical Education
 lowest descriptor would benefit from further support if they decided to study IGCSE Physical Education.

If a learner displays knowledge and/or skills that are above the highest descriptor for an aspect, then you may
wish to refer to the marking criteria for IGCSE Physical Education.

You can use these descriptors to assess everyday lesson activities, a portfolio of evidence or specific
assessment events (e.g. a final dance performance). Whatever approach you choose, we do not recommend
that you spend a lot of time on an end of Lower Secondary assessment or ask learners to create a large
portfolio of evidence.

Assessment guidance for Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education 8

 These points may help you to decide what activities and tasks to use to assess your learners:
 Performance should be assessed in practical performance situations. We have provided explanatory
guidance for games (individual and team), dance, gymnastics and athletics. You can adapt the
descriptors for use with other physical activities (e.g. swimming). We recommend that correct technique is
introduced and reinforced throughout all performances. Learners who want to progress to IGCSE should
have experience of several different physical activities. You can choose how many different types of
physical activity to assess.
 Theory in practice can be assessed using verbal or written responses. This could be during a practical
performance or as a separate activity.

How to use the descriptors

For each aspect there are three descriptors and we recommend you identify the descriptor that best describes
each learner (the ‘best fit’ descriptor). Most learners will show different levels across the different aspects.

For example, imagine you are observing a learner performing a sprint run and engaging in peer review of it
after their performance.

The learner is able to perform a sprint start effectively and when running they have a high knee lift and
vigorous arm drive, which both help to improve the proficiency of this locomotor skill. They can sprint run
effectively in collaborative and competitive situations, and they can combine sprint running with jumping
actions as required (e.g. long jump, triple jump). They enjoy working with others to improve the quality of their
performances. They can set themselves personal targets to improve their times with teacher support, and they
meet these around half of the time. They can analyse others’ sprint running techniques when observing them
directly and when given recordings of the performances. They can explain what was performed well in simple
terms, but they need support to draw out the aspects that need to be improved. They are able to reflect on
their own sprint run performance immediately afterwards, although they often rely on recordings and guidance
from the teacher to decipher weaknesses.

Using the descriptors for Performance and Theory in Practice, we can see that for each aspect:
 Coordinated – the descriptor that best describes this learner’s skill is the highest one because the learner
is able to perform and adapt the sprint run to different (collaborative and competitive) situations, and
combine it with jumping skills.
 Fluent –that best fit descriptor is the highest one because they can link skills (running, jumping) together
in a performance.
 Consistent and accurate – the best fit descriptor is the middle one because this learner can sometimes
achieve a personal running target (an intended outcome).
 Awareness of others – the best fit descriptor is the highest one because this learner works well in pairs
and groups during sprint run practices and in peer review contexts. They therefore show consistent
awareness of others, by actions and communication.
 Analysis and improvement – the best fit descriptor is the lowest one because this learner can identify a
strength in a performance and give a specific suggestion of how to improve this. However, they often
need guidance from the teacher and other learners to work out performance weaknesses, in their own
and other learners’ performances.

You can then use the descriptors as the basis for giving feedback to learners, informing next steps and/or
reporting results. You may want to refer to the guidance on these topics at the end of Section 1.

Assessment guidance for Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education 9

Assessment guidance for Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education 10
 Aspects Descriptors: levels of performance
Coordinated Can perform basic skills. Can perform complex skills. Can adapt skills (basic and complex) to different
situations.

Basic skills can apply to any sport or activity such as running, jumping, balancing, throwing and catching.
Complex skills are specific to a particular sport or activity. They might include:
Teacher
Games: hitting a moving ball, kicking to a target
Guidance
Dance and gymnastics: twisting movements, forward rolls, cartwheels
Athletics: hurdling, passing a baton, hitting a take-off board, throwing an implement (e.g. javelin).
Fluent Can perform individual skills without linking them Can link skills together in a low pressure Can link a number of skills together smoothly and
together. (e.g. practice) situation. at speed in a higher pressure (e.g. competitive or
performance) situation.

Examples of individual and linked skills might include:

Teacher Games (example from basketball): individual skills are dribbling, shooting and jumping; linked skills are combining these to perform the lay-up
Guidance Dance and gymnastics (example from gymnastics): individual skills are a handstand and forward roll; linked skills are a handstand-forward roll
Athletics (example from triple jump): individual skills are the hop, step and jump phases; linked skills are a complete triple jump.
Consistent Can occasionally achieve an intended outcome. Can sometimes achieve an intended outcome. Can usually achieve an intended outcome.
Performance

and accurate

Intended outcomes might include:

Games: passing to a player, hitting a target (either goal or position in the playing area), applying basic tactics and strategies
Dance and gymnastics: completing skills and sequences, interpreting music and themes, being aesthetically pleasing
Teacher Athletics: working within personal targets for distance/times/heights, applying basic tactics and strategies.
Guidance
As a rough guide ‘occasionally’ achieving an intended outcome would be up to about a third of occasions, ‘sometimes’ would be between one and two thirds and
‘usually’ would be more than two thirds.
Awareness of Can show limited awareness of others, by actions Can show some awareness of others, by actions Can show consistent awareness of others, by
others and communication. and communication. actions and communication.

Others might include:

Team games: other players, understanding roles and responsibilities of all team members
Teacher Individual games: opponents and/or others using the same space or equipment
Guidance Dance and gymnastics: other performers and/or others using the same space or equipment
Athletics: other participants and/or others using the same space or equipment.
Warm up and Can participate in a warm up and cool down and Can lead a warm up and/or cool down, appropriate Can lead and explain how a warm up and a cool
cool down identify the main muscle groups involved. to specific physical activities. down affects the body and mind, referring to the
three parts of a warm up.

Teacher Part of leading a warm up / cool down can include choosing from exercises they have experienced. Some learners may prefer to lead a warm up in a small group or pair
Guidance rather than for a whole class.

Assessment guidance for Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education 11

 Aspects Descriptors: levels of performance
Analysis Can identify a strength or weakness in a Can identify both strengths and weaknesses Can identify strengths and weaknesses in a
and performance and give a specific suggestion in a performance and give specific performance, using some activity-specific
improvement of how to improve. suggestions of how to improve. vocabulary, and give targets and methods for
improvement.

Learners can look for strengths and weaknesses in a skill, aspect of performance (e.g. tactics) or component of fitness. The activity-specific vocabulary
Theory in Practice

can relate to any of these dimensions (e.g. ‘The reason you were not able to do the splits was because of low flexibility. You could improve your
flexibility by doing regular hamstring stretches.’).

Teacher For Stage 9 learners, we recommend that they are assessed on their ability to analyse another’s performance that is of a similar standard to their
Guidance own.
Note: Self-analysis without using recordings is a higher level skill than analysing another’s performance because it requires both objectivity and ability
to analyse performance while also doing the activity. If a learner demonstrates effective self-analysis, then this should be praised even if they did not
use subject-specific vocabulary.
Healthy Can describe the factors important for a Can explain why both exercise and diet are Can suggest practical ways of promoting a
lifestyle healthy lifestyle. important for a healthy lifestyle. healthy lifestyle.

Teacher It is expected that the main focus will be on physical activity and diet.
Guidance Practical approaches could include measuring diet and physical activity using trackers and diaries.

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Assessment guidance for Cambridge Lower Secondary Physical Education 12