There are three key tips which can help students gain success in PDHPE as a subject area and they include:

  • Learn the PDHPE syllabus
  • Completing Past Papers and 
  • Writing using the PEEL structure while including the glossary of key verbs and studying the content broadly.

Learn the PDHPE syllabus

Learning the content of the syllabus – the ‘learn to’, and ‘learn about’ sections of the syllabus help students to have a scaffold to the type of questions they will be asked in the exam. There can be no content that is outside of this syllabus information in the exam so learning the syllabus content gives students a significant advantage. 

Practice past papers

Whether a sporting or musical performance, the way students can decrease performance anxiety and maximise their preparation for an examination is to prepare well by completing relevant question types and examples. Practising writing helps to increase your confidence and grows your belief in your ability to perform under examination conditions. The PDHPE examination has been tested since 2010 using the same syllabus so the more papers you complete the greater the chance that you will be preparing for a similar question, hence increasing your chance of a question you are familiar with. Through this rigorous process you learn more about how papers are written – for example, the consistent structure of multiple-choice questions (tables, graphs, interpreting data), allocating equitably the degree of difficulty across the questions throughout the paper, and begin to inherently absorb content and learn the required syllabus that is demanded. A reminder also that PDHPE staff will review all the work you give them and that we really value the opportunity to provide feedback.

Learn to write using the PEEL structure 

Key to success in PDHPE is the ability for students to follow the below sequence in their writing:

1) Point: Introduce their first point relating to the question. 

2) Expand: Give further information to support this introduction.

3) Example: Give a specific example to demonstrate your understanding. 

4) Link: Re-check the question and ensure you are answering the question directly.

In addition, try and establish balance in your life as you prepare for exams. Keep doing the things that you love (albeit allocate your time more carefully), keep active both physically and socially and ensure you talk to someone when you need support.