Key term
AQA A-Level Physical Education 7582
The Cardiovascular System
The Respiratory System
The Neuromuscular System
The Musculo-Skeletal System and Movement Analysis
Energy Systems
Skill, Transfer and Practice
Theories of Learning
Guidance and Feedback
Information Processing and Memory
The Emergence and Globalisation of Sport
Topic overviewPre-industrial society, mob football and real tennisIndustrialisation, urbanisation and rational recreationAssociation football, lawn tennis and Victorian athleticsAmateurs, professionals and women in Victorian sportThe Golden Triangle of sport, media and sponsorshipProfessionalism and elite women's sport since 1950
Equal Opportunities in Sport
Diet and Nutrition
Preparation and Training Methods
Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Biomechanical Principles and Levers
Linear and Angular Motion
Projectile Motion and Fluid Mechanics
Personality and Attitudes
Arousal and Anxiety
Aggression
Motivation and Achievement Motivation
Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics
Goal Setting
Attribution Theory
Self-Efficacy and Confidence
Leadership
Stress Management
Concepts of Physical Activity and Sport
Development of Elite Performers
Ethics and Violence in Sport
Drugs in Sport
Sport, the Law and Commercialisation
The Cardiovascular System
- 5 subtopics
- 15 things to know
- Paper 1
What The Cardiovascular System covers
The Cardiovascular System is examined in Paper 1, Factors affecting participation in physical activity and sport. It covers heart health, fitness and cardiac output, the cardiac conduction system and heart rate control, receptors, vascular shunting and blood redistribution, oxygen transport, the Bohr shift and the a-VO₂ difference and venous return, Starling's law and cardiovascular drift.
Where it is assessed
Paper 1
Factors affecting participation in physical activity and sport, 2 hours and 35% of the A-level.
Check the AQA specification ↗The 5 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Heart health, fitness and cardiac outputCoronary heart disease, high blood pressure, cholesterol and stroke, the cardiac output equation and a worked example, bradycardia and cardiac hypertrophy, stroke volume and heart rate responses to a steady jog and a 400 m race.Open →
- The cardiac conduction system and heart rate controlMyogenic cardiac muscle, the SA node, AV node and route of the impulse, the cardiac control centre, sympathetic and parasympathetic control, the anticipatory rise, adrenaline and carbon dioxide.Open →
- Receptors, vascular shunting and blood redistributionChemoreceptors, proprioceptors and baroreceptors, vascular shunting and the vasomotor centre, vasodilation and vasoconstriction, pre-capillary sphincters and blood flow to muscles, brain and skin.Open →
- Oxygen transport, the Bohr shift and the a-VO₂ differenceHaemoglobin and myoglobin, the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve, the Bohr shift and its causes, the a-VO₂ diff with a worked example, and training adaptations that raise oxygen delivery.Open →
- Venous return, Starling's law and cardiovascular driftVenous return and its mechanisms, pocket valves, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, Starling's law applied to a cyclist, and cardiovascular drift in a marathon.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
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What is the a-VO₂ diff, and how does it change from rest to exercise?
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What are vasodilation and vasoconstriction, and where does each happen during exercise?
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Why is cardiac muscle described as myogenic?
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What is venous return?
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What is coronary heart disease?
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Where is the sinoatrial (SA) node, and what does it do?
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What do chemoreceptors detect, and where are they found?
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How is most oxygen carried in the blood?
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How does the skeletal muscle pump aid venous return?
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How does regular aerobic exercise lower the risk of coronary heart disease?
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What happens as the impulse spreads from the SA node across the atria?
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What do proprioceptors detect during exercise?
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Where is haemoglobin found, and how much oxygen can one molecule carry?
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Explain the respiratory pump.
Take The Cardiovascular System further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Baroreceptor vs Chemoreceptor
Baroreceptor: a sensory nerve ending that detects changes in blood pressure. Chemoreceptor: a sensory nerve ending that detects changes in blood carbon dioxide and pH.
Vasodilation vs Vasoconstriction
Vasodilation: the widening of a blood vessel to increase flow. Vasoconstriction: the narrowing of a blood vessel to reduce flow.
Systolic pressure vs Diastolic pressure
Systolic pressure: the force of blood in the arteries while the ventricles contract. Diastolic pressure: the force of blood in the arteries while the ventricles relax.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is coronary heart disease?
Model answer
Coronary heart disease is a narrowing of the coronary arteries that supply the heart muscle. Fatty deposits called atheroma build up in the artery walls, a process called atherosclerosis.
- 2
How does regular aerobic exercise lower the risk of coronary heart disease?
Model answer
Regular aerobic exercise keeps the arteries elastic and lowers LDL cholesterol. Fewer fatty deposits form, so the coronary arteries are less likely to narrow or block.
- 3
What is high blood pressure, and why is it a health risk?
Model answer
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a persistently raised force of blood on the artery walls. Hypertension strains the heart and damages arteries, raising the risk of heart attack and stroke.
- 4
How does regular physical activity affect resting blood pressure?
Model answer
Regular physical activity lowers resting blood pressure. The arteries stay more elastic and the heart pumps more efficiently, so there is less strain on the vessel walls.
- 5
How does regular exercise change a person's cholesterol profile?
Model answer
Regular exercise raises HDL, which carries cholesterol to the liver, and lowers LDL. The balance moves away from the fatty deposits that cause atherosclerosis.
- 6
What is a stroke?
Model answer
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Brain cells in the affected area are starved of oxygen and begin to die.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
The Cardiovascular System revision questions
- What does The Cardiovascular System cover in AQA A-Level Physical Education?
- 5 subtopics: heart health, fitness and cardiac output, the cardiac conduction system and heart rate control, receptors, vascular shunting and blood redistribution, oxygen transport, the bohr shift and the a-vo₂ difference and venous return, starling's law and cardiovascular drift. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is The Cardiovascular System organised?
- By the AQA 7582 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in The Cardiovascular System, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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