IGCSE Physical Education Topics by Exam Board: Full List

When you’re studying an average of 8-10 IGCSEs, revising for each subject can feel overwhelming. It becomes even more difficult when you don’t know exactly which topics you’re expected to know about.

There are already some useful revision resources for IGCSE Physical Education (PE), but most only offer general study tips or definitions of key vocabulary. What’s missing is a comprehensive guide to help you revise for both the theory and the practical exams.

This article includes an official and complete breakdown of the topics you need to revise for Cambridge IGCSE PE. We’ll also show you how to use this list to revise in the most effective way.

Key Takeaways

• Cambridge is currently the only exam board offering this course

• The course has one theory paper and one coursework component

• You need to study four topics for the theory paper and demonstrate effective performance in four physical activities for your coursework

• Using an exam-board-specific topic list helps you focus your revision on what actually gets marked

Why It's Important to Revise by Exam Board

Although subject content often overlaps across exam boards, each exam board has a different syllabus. This means that the same subject can be taught very differently in one exam board compared to another, with varying topics, skills and assessment methods.

Knowing exactly which topics your exam board covers means you can create a focused revision plan. You won't waste time studying content that won't be tested, and you'll know exactly what to expect when it comes to exams.

Cambridge is currently the only exam board offering IGCSE PE, so if you’re doing this course, this is your syllabus (opens in a new tab).

Cambridge IGCSE Physical Education (0413)

IGCSE PE consists of Paper 1 and Component 2.

Paper 1: Theory

Paper 1 is a 1 hour 45-minute written exam testing the following assessment objectives (AOs):

AO1: demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the theoretical principles that underpin performance in physical activity/sport.

AO2: apply knowledge and understanding of the theoretical principles to a variety of physical activities/sports, including the analysis and evaluation of performance.

The maximum mark for this paper is 100. To do well, you need to demonstrate skills of description, interpretation and evaluation. When referring to examples in your answers, you may only use ones from the physical activities listed in the syllabus (see these below in the table under Component 2: Coursework).

Here are the four topics you’ll be tested on for Paper 1:

1. Anatomy and physiology

• Skeletal and muscular system

• Respiratory system

• Circulatory system

• Energy supply and the effects of exercise on the body

• Simple biomechanics

2. Health, fitness and training

• Health and well-being

• Components of fitness

• The relationship between health and fitness

• Diet and energy sources

• Reasons for fitness testing

• Test protocols

• VO2 max (maximum oxygen uptake)

• Principles of training & overload

• Training methods

• High-altitude training as a specialist training method

• Reasons for warming up & cooling down

3. Skill acquisition and psychology

• Skill and ability

• Skilled performance

• Skill classification continua

• Simple information processing model

• Stages of learning

• Feedback

• Guidance

• Goal setting

• Motivation

• Arousal

• Anxiety

• Relaxation techniques

• Personality types

4. Social, cultural and ethical influences

• Leisure and recreation

• Growth in leisure activities

• The sports development pyramid

• Sponsorship

• Media

• Global events

• Professional and amateur performers

• Technology

• Factors affecting access and participation in physical activities

• Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) and their disadvantages 

• Blood doping

• Sportsmanship and gamesmanship

• Risk and risk assessment

• Injuries

For a detailed breakdown of each topic with specific subtopics, check the (opens in a new tab)Cambridge IGCSE PE specification (opens in a new tab).

Component 2: Coursework

Component 2 is a practical exam testing the following assessment objective (AO):

AO3: demonstrate the ability to select and perform appropriate skills to produce effective performance in practical activities.

The maximum mark for this component is 100. To do well, you need to demonstrate effective performance in four physical activities. Examiners are assessing your ability to do the following:

• Respond readily to instructions 

• Recognise and follow relevant rules, laws, codes, etiquette and safety procedures for different activities or events

• Understand the safety risks of wearing inappropriate clothing, footwear and jewellery, and why particular clothing, footwear and protection are worn for different activities 

• Know how to use equipment safely

• Be familiar with relevant warm-up and cool-down routines, as well as practices, drills and games

You’ll need to choose your four physical activities from at least two of the seven categories in the table below:

For more information, check the (opens in a new tab)Cambridge IGCSE PE specification (opens in a new tab).

How to Use IGCSE PE Topic Lists in Your Revision

Create a revision checklist

Print or copy out the four theory topics and tick them off as you revise each one. Seeing progress is really motivating, and it stops you from accidentally skipping anything important.

Practise explaining key terms and concepts out loud

For each topic, try explaining key concepts (like the respiratory system or sportsmanship) as if you're teaching a friend. If you get stuck on any, you’ll know they’re the ones you need to revise. As Albert Einstein supposedly said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”.

Organise your notes and flashcards by topic

Separating your notes and flashcards according to topic will make it much easier to find information quickly.

Track performance skills and match them to assessment objectives

Remind yourself of the performance skills examiners are assessing in Component 2 (see above) to help understand how to meet the requirements of AO3.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many sports do I need to be assessed in?

Component 2 assesses your performance in four different physical activities. These need to be chosen from at least two of the seven categories listed in the syllabus.

Do I need to revise all the theory topics for the written paper?

Yes. The written exam can test any of the four theory topics, so you need to know them all.

Cambridge stresses that all of the topics are interrelated, so look for the connections across the content to help cement your knowledge and understanding.

What percentage of my grade is theory vs. practical?

Paper 1 is worth 50% of your grade, and Component 2 makes up the other 50%. You therefore need to treat theory and practice with equal importance.

Final Thoughts

Using this topic list to structure your IGCSE PE revision means you'll know exactly what to study, how it's tested, and how to allocate your time between theory and practical training.

Bookmark or print this page, and use it as your roadmap. Work through each theory topic, tick it off as you go, practise answering past paper questions, and keep pushing to improve your practical performance in all four physical activities.

You've got this!

References

• Cambridge IGCSE Physical Education (0413) Specification (opens in a new tab)

• Cambridge IGCSE Physical Education (0413) Syllabus – 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab)

• Cambridge IGCSE Physical Education (0413) Syllabus – 2027-2028 (opens in a new tab)

• Cambridge IGCSE PE Past Papers

• IGCSE Revision

• Flashcards

• What is the Feynman Technique?