Fiducia TogetherComponents of fitness
The measurable parts of being fit, and the tests for each.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Health-related components: cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, strength, flexibility, body composition. Skill-related: agility, balance, coordination, power, reaction time, speed.
Where it applies
GCSE PE and BTEC sport.
How it works
Each has a recognised test — the multi-stage fitness test for cardiovascular endurance, the sit-and-reach for flexibility, the Illinois agility run, the vertical jump for power.
Different sports demand different components, which is the basis of most application questions.
How to use it in your work
Match the component to the sport and justify it. "A goalkeeper needs reaction time and power more than cardiovascular endurance."
Learn one test per component with its protocol and one limitation.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification — these qualifications vary more between boards than the traditional GCSEs do, and much of the grade is coursework marked against stated criteria.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The PE Song The GCSE PE topics, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.