GCSE PE analysis of performance

What is analysis of performance in GCSE PE?

Analysis of performance means watching someone perform a skill or activity, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, and suggesting ways to improve. It’s one of the core skills your exam board expects you to demonstrate, and it comes up in both coursework and written exams.

Think of it this way: if you were coaching a teammate in football, you wouldn’t just say “you need to get better”. You’d watch them play, notice specific things they do well and things they struggle with, then give them concrete advice on how to improve. That’s analysis of performance.

Most exam boards test this in two ways. In your coursework or NEA, you’ll analyse either your own performance or a peer’s performance in a practical activity. In the written exam, you might be asked to read a scenario describing a performer and then identify strengths, weaknesses, and improvements.

The key difference between a basic answer and a top-mark answer is specificity. Saying “their passing was good” is vague. Saying “their chest pass in netball was accurate and well-timed, allowing the receiving player to maintain attacking momentum” shows you understand what good technique looks like and why it matters.

Observation techniques and methods

Before you can analyse a performance, you need to know what to look for and how to look for it. There are several observation methods you can use, and the best approach depends on the sport and the context.

What to watch for

When observing a performer, focus on four main areas:

• Technique — Is the performer using the correct form? In athletics, are they driving their knees during a sprint? In netball, are they stepping into their chest pass? Look at body position, timing, and coordination.
• Tactics and decision-making — Are they making good choices during the activity? In football, are they passing when they should pass and shooting when they have a clear chance? Do they adapt when the opposition changes strategy?
• Fitness — Does their performance drop towards the end of the activity? If a badminton player is moving well in the first game but struggling to reach shots by the third, that tells you something about their cardiovascular endurance.
• Consistency — Can they repeat the skill reliably? A basketball player who makes one great free throw but misses the next five has a consistency problem, even if their technique looks correct.

Observation methods

• Checklist observation — Create a list of specific skills or criteria before you watch. For example, if you’re analysing a tennis serve, your checklist might include: ball toss height, racket position at contact, follow-through direction, foot placement. This keeps your observation focused and structured.
• Free observation — Watch the whole performance without a predetermined list and note down whatever stands out. This is useful for getting an overall impression, but it’s easier to miss things.
• Video analysis — Recording the performance lets you watch it back multiple times, slow it down, and pause at key moments. This is especially useful for fast-paced sports like sprinting or gymnastics where technique happens quickly.
• Peer observation vs self-analysis — Watching someone else can be easier because you have a clear view of the whole performance. Analysing yourself is harder because you can’t see your own technique in real time, which is why video analysis or feedback from others is useful for self-evaluation.

In your coursework, aim to use a combination of methods. A checklist gives you structure, while video analysis lets you pick up details you might miss in real time. If you’re writing about this in the exam, mention the method you’d use and explain why it’s appropriate for the situation described.

The role of Sports Leaders in performance analysis

If you’re doing Sports Leaders as part of your PE course, analysis of performance is directly relevant to your leadership work. As a Sports Leader, you’re expected to observe participants, give feedback, and adapt activities based on what you see — which is exactly what analysis of performance is about.

For example, if you’re leading a warm-up for a group of Year 7 students, you might notice that several participants are not stretching properly during dynamic stretches. A good Sports Leader would stop, demonstrate the correct technique, explain why it matters (reducing injury risk, preparing muscles for activity), and then check that participants have improved.

In a practical session, you might observe a group playing a small-sided football game and notice that one team keeps losing possession because they’re not spreading out. You could pause the game, explain the tactical issue, and suggest that players think about width and spacing. This is analysis in action — observing, identifying a weakness, and suggesting an improvement.

When writing about Sports Leaders in the exam, connect your leadership experience to analysis skills. Explain how you used observation to identify what participants needed, how you gave constructive feedback (positive first, then areas for improvement), and how you adapted your session based on what you saw. This shows the examiner you understand the link between leadership and performance analysis.

How to write an analysis of performance

Whether you’re writing coursework or answering an exam question, a strong analysis follows a clear structure. Here’s how to set it out.

1. Identify the performer and the activity

Start by stating who you’re analysing and what activity they’re performing. For coursework, this might be “I observed a Year 11 student performing in a competitive badminton singles match.” In the exam, the scenario will be given to you.

2. Analyse strengths with specific examples

Don’t just say “they were good at passing”. Describe the skill, explain what they did well, and use PE terminology. For example: “The performer demonstrated a high level of efficiency in their overhead clear, with a full arm extension at the point of contact and a smooth follow-through that directed the shuttle to the back of the court consistently.”

3. Identify weaknesses with evidence

Again, be specific. “Their footwork was poor” is too vague. “The performer often arrived late to the shuttle during rallies, resulting in off-balance shots and a loss of fluency. This was particularly noticeable when returning drop shots to the front of the court” — that tells the examiner exactly what you observed.

4. Suggest improvements linked to training methods

This is where many students lose marks. Your improvement suggestions need to be specific and linked to actual training methods. If the weakness is poor footwork, you might suggest: “To improve court movement, the performer could use interval training with shuttle runs to develop speed and agility, combined with shadow badminton drills to practise footwork patterns without the pressure of a rally.”

5. Set SMART targets

For coursework especially, examiners want to see targets that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. Instead of “improve fitness”, try “complete the multi-stage fitness test to level 8.5 within six weeks by following a continuous training programme three times per week.”

Key terminology to use

Using the right words signals to the examiner that you understand the subject. Build these terms into your writing:

• Technique — the way a skill is performed
• Efficiency — performing with minimal wasted effort or energy
• Consistency — the ability to repeat a skill accurately
• Fluency — smooth, controlled movement without hesitation
• Tactical awareness — making good decisions during play
• Accuracy — placing the ball or object in the intended position
• Control — managing the ball or body position effectively

Common exam questions and how to answer them

Analysis of performance comes up regularly in the written exam. Here are the most common question types and how to approach them.

“Observe a performance and identify two strengths and two weaknesses”

Structure your answer clearly: state the strength or weakness, describe what you observed, and explain the impact on the performance. For a netball example: “One strength was the performer’s footwork when receiving a pass — they landed on one foot and pivoted smoothly, maintaining balance and allowing them to pass accurately to the next player. One weakness was their shooting technique — they did not fully extend their arms on release, which reduced the arc of the shot and resulted in it hitting the ring rather than going cleanly through the net.”

“Suggest a training programme to improve a weakness”

Link your answer directly to the weakness you identified. Name the training method and explain why it’s appropriate. The main training methods you should know are:

• Interval training — periods of work followed by rest. Good for improving speed, anaerobic fitness, and recovery. Useful for sports with bursts of activity like football or basketball.
• Continuous training — steady-pace exercise for 20+ minutes without rest. Improves cardiovascular endurance. Suitable for long-distance runners, swimmers, or cyclists.
• Fartlek training — varying pace and terrain during a continuous run. Combines aerobic and anaerobic work. Good for games players who need to change speed frequently, like hockey or rugby players.
• Circuit training — a series of exercises performed at stations. Can be adapted to focus on specific fitness components. Useful for all-round fitness or targeting particular weaknesses.

For example, if a footballer loses pace in the second half, you could suggest: “A fartlek training programme twice per week, alternating between jogging, sprinting, and walking over varied terrain, to improve both aerobic endurance and the ability to recover quickly between high-intensity efforts.”

“Explain the importance of feedback in improving performance”

You need to know the different types of feedback and when each is most useful:

• Intrinsic feedback — comes from the performer themselves, based on how the movement felt. An experienced gymnast might know their landing was off-balance without being told.
• Extrinsic feedback — comes from an external source such as a coach, teacher, or video replay. This is especially important for beginners who may not yet recognise their own errors.
• Positive feedback — tells the performer what they did well. Builds confidence and reinforces correct technique. “Your follow-through on that pass was much better that time.”
• Negative feedback — highlights errors or areas for improvement. Needs to be constructive and specific to be useful. “You’re dropping your elbow during the serve — try to keep it at shoulder height.”

In your answer, explain that feedback helps performers understand what they’re doing well (so they can repeat it) and what needs improving (so they can focus their practice). A combination of positive and negative feedback, delivered at the right time, is most effective. For beginners, extrinsic feedback from a coach is more important because they haven’t yet developed the ability to self-assess accurately.

GCSE PE analysis of performance: your questions

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