1. PE Elements in SS Curriculum
Core subjects
Chinese Language
English Language
Mathematics
Liberal Studies
Elective Subjects
2 or 3 electives among 20 subjects including the PE Elective
Other learning experiences
moral and civic education
community service
career-related experiences
aesthetic development
physical development (General PE, non-examination)
Applied Learning Courses (ApL ) (alternatives to electives, there are some PE-/sports-related ApL programmes)
In the senior secondary curriculum, all students take 4 core subjects (Chinese, English, Mathematics and Liberal Studies), and 2 to 3 electives among the 20 subjects available including the PE Elective. The time allocation for each elective is about 10% of the total curriculum time.
Besides, all students are entitled to acquire Other Learning Experiences including physical development (i.e. General PE, a non-examination subject with rich extra-curricular activities). The suggested minimum time allocation for General PE is 5% of the total curriculum time.
Students acquire OLE-PD mainly through structured lessons in each week or cycle and a rich variety of colourful co-curricular activities.  They are thus exposed to different types of PE-related learning activities, which are challenging and interesting.  All these help students to foster a lifelong habit of participating in physical activities.
As the public has been increasingly aware of the benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle in recent years, related industries such as recreation management, fitness and dancing are getting more vibrant.  In PE-related Applied Learning courses, students are provided with many real-life learning opportunities to better understand these industries which are instrumental to their further study or career development in the future. 
"Sports" is one of the themes for IES in the Liberal Studies curriculum.  After students have developed a solid knowledge base in various key learning areas at junior secondary, they may go further to explore from multiple perspectives the relationship between sport and business, issues related to doping in sport, the impact of technology on sport performance, etc.  These may help students relate and expand knowledge, and further develop generic skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
In addition, senior secondary students can also opt to take the PE Elective for admission to tertiary institutions.  

2. Key features of the PE Elective
Emphasise theory-practice linkage
Adopt an interdisciplinary approach
Promote enquiry and critical thinking
The PE Elective emphasises "Learning by doing" – to acquire, apply and verify theories in real-life situations.  To this end, I encourage students to make good use of the "Practicum" sessions to deepen their understanding and hone higher-order thinking skills.
The PE Elective is full of fun and highly relevant to students' daily life. It helps them lay a good foundation in science, the humanities and social sciences, and prepare them for post-secondary education. Given its holistic nature, it is suitable for both elite athletes and ordinary students who are interested in sport.

3. PE in the basic education and NSS curriculum
Science: sport science, health science, nutrition, physiotherapy, biology, physics, etc.
Humanities and Social Science: education, recreation management, sociology, psychology, journalism, etc. U1
Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education S6
OLE-PD (i.e. General PE)
PE Elective S5
Diversified activities
Theory-practice linkage S4
As a senior secondary elective subject leading to the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE), the PE Elective is academically rigorous in its curriculum design.
The PE Elective helps students to develop a good foundation for further studies in the areas of science, the humanities and the social sciences.
The PE Elective builds on the foundation of General PE and advances students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in PE, sport and recreation, whether they aim to be elite athletes or are just interested in sport and physical activity. S3
Learning to learn
PE in the basic education and NSS curriculum P1

4. Active and Healthy lifestyle
Vigor
Regular physical activities
Vitality
Self-respect
Control of one’s destiny
There is a global appeal for building healthy communities
Active and healthy lifestyle refers to “a way of living based on
regular physical activity, and
a cluster of related healthy behaviours” which leads to health, vigour, vitality, self-respect and the control of one’s destiny.
People may be at different levels of practising self-regulated active and healthy living.
Some merely follow instructions without really knowing why
Some are fully informed and determined to make relevant choices
The learning of the PE Elective aims to help students make informed decisions in healthy living. It is basically problem-based, therefore, it has a strong theory-practice linkage:
It is related to participation in physical activities and concerns for building a healthier, stronger and more attractive body as well as pursuing sport excellence.
It is also related to individuals’ contribution to building a healthy community and caring for issues that affect students’ daily life at personal, community, national and global levels;
Healthy behaviour

5. This is a diagrammatic representation of the PE Elective curriculum structure
The phrase “self-regulated, active and healthy citizens” appears repeatedly in the background, indicating that the primary curriculum aim of the PE Elective is to nurture a group of active and healthy citizens who are
Knowledgeable
Self-regulated
Sensitive to health issues that have an impact on their daily lives, and
Willing to contribute to building a healthy community
The PE Elective adopts an interdisciplinary approach.
Through making connections between concepts acquired in different disciplines and from different sources, students will gain an overall understanding of the physical and social world of PE, sport and recreation.
The curriculum covers nine theoretical learning parts that are grouped under three themes. These three themes are considered to be the main concerns of active and healthy citizens:
“Body Maintenance”
“Self Enhancement”
“Community Concerns”
While elements of applied learning have been included in each of the nine theoretical parts, the practicum is specifically designed to engage students in active and healthy living by designing, implementing, evaluating and adapting relevant plans in a real-life situation.

6. Practicum Other Learning Experience – Physical Development
Apply or test the theories learnt in the 9 theoretical Parts
Care for the Community
History and Development 6%
Social Aspects 12%
Sport and Recreation Management 6%
Practicum
Self Enhancement
Movement Analysis 6%
Training Methods 12%
Psycho-logical skills 12%
Other Learning Experience – Physical Development
(i.e., General PE)
Body Maintenance
Human Body 12%
Fitness and Nutrition 12%
Sport Injuries 6%
16%
The PE Elective engages students in designing, implementing, evaluating and adapting plans pertaining to body maintenance, self enhancement and community concerns in a real-life situation. It provides students with an opportunity
to apply or test the theories learnt in the 9 theoretical parts AND
to examine the problems identified in general PE, in order to establish connections and construct new knowledge
The PE Elective helps students
develop an enquiring mind and enables them to
carry out empirical investigations
discuss issues based on empirical evidence
develop critical thinking skills and enable them to
address issues from a variety of perspectives, taking into account the values embedded in PE, sport and recreation.
Examine the problems identified in General PE, establish connections and construct new knowledge

7. Public assessment for the Physical Education Elective
Component
Part
Weighting
Remarks
Public
Examination
(theoretical component)
Paper 1 - Multiple-choice questions and short questions
Paper 2 - Long questions
42%
18%
2 hours 15 minutes
1 hour 15 minutes
(practical component)
Paper 3
Attainment in TWO physical activities (13.33% each)
Physical Activity 1:
Badminton/ Basketball/
Football/ Volleyball/ Table
Tennis (choose one)
Physical Activity 2:
Athletics/ Gymnastics/
Swimming (choose one)
2. Attainment in physical fitness test (13.33%)
40%
Fitness test items:
1,609 m run/ walk
1 min sit-up
Sit and Reach
(a) Pull-ups (boys)
(b) Flexed Arm
Hang (Girls)

8. Curriculum Aims of PE Elective
Enable students to:
Acquire the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes necessary to lead a self-regulated, active and healthy life
integrate physical skills with theoretical learning
develop a strong foundation in both the “science” and “humanities and social science” domains for further education and/or career development
To conclude, the PE Elective helps students:
acquire the knowledge and skills, and develop the values and attitudes necessary to pursue an active and healthy life in a self-regulated manner; the students will become responsible citizens who contribute to the building of a healthy community and are themselves vigorous, vital and able to convince others to adopt an active and healthy lifestyle.
integrate physical skills with theoretical learning and use them to support and strengthen their conceptual understanding and higher-order thinking; the students will be able to apply theories to enhance performance or participation in PE, sport and recreation.
construct knowledge by linking the understandings they develop in PE, sport and recreation with those in other disciplines, and make use of this knowledge in further education and career development.