Key term
Edexcel A-Level Physical Education 9PE0
The Musculo-Skeletal System
Levers, Newton's Laws and Stability
The Respiratory System
The Cardiovascular System
The Neuromuscular System
Adaptations to Training
Energy Systems
Fatigue and Recovery
Diet, Nutrition and Supplements
Fitness Testing
Components and Principles of Training
Training Methods and Periodisation
Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Linear and Angular Motion
Projectile Motion and Fluid Mechanics
Coaching and Skill Classification
Learning Theories
Practice and Guidance
Feedback and Motor Control
Information Processing and Memory
Personality and Attitudes
Arousal and Anxiety
Aggression
Motivation
Social Facilitation
Group Dynamics and Cohesion
Goal Setting
Attribution Theory
Confidence and Self-Efficacy
Leadership
The Emergence of Modern Sport
Equality, Diversity and Migration in Sport
The Globalisation of Sport
The Commercialisation of Sport
Ethics and Deviance in Sport
Sport and the Media
Talent Identification and Elite Development
Participation and the Health of the Nation
The Respiratory System
- 4 subtopics
- 12 things to know
- Component 1
What The Respiratory System covers
The Respiratory System is examined in Component 1, Scientific principles of physical education. It covers structure of the airways and alveoli, the mechanics of breathing, gas exchange, partial pressure and diffusion and lung volumes and capacities.
Where it is assessed
Component 1
Scientific principles of physical education, a 2 hour 30 minute paper worth 40% of the qualification.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 4 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Structure of the airways and alveoliThe pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles and alveoli, the features that make alveoli efficient, moisture and branching, the bronchioles in exercise, asthma, and how the respiratory and cardiovascular systems supply a working muscle.Open →
- The mechanics of breathingPulmonary ventilation, the diaphragm and external intercostals in inspiration, the extra muscles used in exercise, passive and active expiration, thoracic volume and pressure, pressure gradients, the control of breathing in exercise and the warm-up.Open →
- Gas exchange, partial pressure and diffusionPartial pressure and diffusion, external and internal respiration, oxygen and carbon dioxide gradients at the alveoli and the muscles, how each gas is carried, the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve, the Bohr shift and the a-vO₂ difference.Open →
- Lung volumes and capacitiesTidal volume, inspiratory and expiratory reserve volumes, residual volume, vital capacity, inspiratory capacity, functional residual capacity and total lung capacity, worked capacity and minute ventilation calculations, and spirometer traces in exercise.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
Where do external and internal respiration take place, and why does oxygen enter the blood at the lungs?
Key term
What are inspiratory capacity and functional residual capacity, and how is each calculated?
Key term
Name three features that make the alveoli efficient at gas exchange.
Key term
In order, which structures does air pass through between the pharynx and the alveoli?
Key term
Define pulmonary ventilation.
Key term
What is partial pressure?
Key term
Define tidal volume.
Key term
What is the pharynx, and what does it carry?
Key term
Which muscles contract to produce inspiration at rest?
Key term
Define diffusion.
Key term
What is inspiratory reserve volume?
Take The Respiratory System further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Inspiration vs Expiration
Inspiration: the movement of air into the lungs. Expiration: the movement of air out of the lungs.
External respiration vs Internal respiration
External respiration: gas exchange between the alveoli and pulmonary blood. Internal respiration: gas exchange between tissue blood and muscle cells.
Tidal volume vs Vital capacity
Tidal volume: the air moved in or out in one normal breath. Vital capacity: the most air exhaled after the deepest possible breath in.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
In order, which structures does air pass through between the pharynx and the alveoli?
Model answer
Air passes from the pharynx into the larynx and down the trachea. The air then enters a bronchus, the bronchioles and finally the alveoli.
- 2
What is the pharynx, and what does it carry?
Model answer
The pharynx is the throat, the passage behind the nose and mouth. The pharynx carries air towards the larynx and food towards the oesophagus.
- 3
What is the function of the larynx?
Model answer
The larynx is the voice box, containing the vocal cords. The epiglottis closes over the larynx during swallowing so food cannot enter the trachea.
- 4
How is the trachea adapted to keep air flowing to the lungs?
Model answer
C-shaped rings of cartilage hold the trachea open during breathing. Mucus and ciliated cells trap dust and sweep it away from the lungs.
- 5
What are the bronchi?
Model answer
The bronchi are the two branches of the trachea, one entering each lung. Cartilage supports the bronchi and keeps them open.
- 6
How do bronchioles differ from bronchi?
Model answer
Bronchioles are much smaller airways that lead from the bronchi towards the alveoli. Bronchioles lack cartilage and have smooth muscle, so they can widen or narrow.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
The Respiratory System revision questions
- What does The Respiratory System cover in Edexcel A-Level Physical Education?
- 4 subtopics: structure of the airways and alveoli, the mechanics of breathing, gas exchange, partial pressure and diffusion and lung volumes and capacities. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is The Respiratory System organised?
- By the Edexcel 9PE0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in The Respiratory 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.
Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.