"I was shocked too when I first heard about it," admits Nicholas Ong, a Sec 4 student who took his 'O' level in PE this year. "But I was also very excited, because I'm from a sports CCA."

North Vista Secondary School is one of the few schools in Singapore to offer PE as an 'O' level paper. Students like Nicholas who opt for the subject can use it to apply for admission to junior college, just as they would with other 'O' level academic subjects.

"Our PE culture is quite strong, so our athletically-inclined students stand to benefit from this," says Mrs Wendy Tan, the school's Sports Secretary and Subject Coordinator. "We also hope to raise the profile of PE and our teachers because PE is now an examinable subject."

Not just another 'Ordinary' subject

But what is 'O' level PE, really?

It's important to keep track of each student's progress onsite.

According to Mrs Tan, PE is just like other classroom subjects that you need to study and revise for. But unlike most other subjects, it's not enough to simply hit the books. Students must also hit the training field to hone their physical abilities and reflexes.

As the subject may not be suitable for every student, those who are keen have to undergo a sports skills trial and interview as well as submit relevant CCA and National Physical Fitness Award Scheme (NAPFA) records.

Successful applicants go through a curriculum that is 60 percent sports coursework and 40 percent theory. For coursework, students train for assessment in four sports - at North Vista Secondary, they have a choice of basketball, netball, cross-country, weight-training, badminton and softball.

It's a marriage of mind and matter, as students must submit video clips of their field performance to the examiners for final grading. They also have to provide an accompanying analysis of an actual game to show their understanding of the various players' position and tactics.

Taking physical education to the classrooms.

For the theory component, there's an extra hour of PE class each week, in which the students cover a wide spectrum of sports-related disciplines such as biomechanics, physiology, training methods and even the role of sports in the media.

Interestingly, not all PE 'O' level students are out and out athletes. Don Seng is a fit-looking Sec 3 student. But when he isn't tossing a ball around on the field, you will find him happily in song as a member of the school choir.

"I've always been active in sports, and I decided to go ahead with [the PE 'O' levels] because I love sports," says Don, who finds the PE coursework enriching and even helpful for his CCA. "I am fitter now, so I can hold my breath longer and sustain my notes for a longer time!"

Learning to think on your feet

PE students spend much time on the track. However, there's still no escaping the old bane of every 'O' level exam: revision. But instead of volumes of 10-year series and past prelim papers, the students must burn the proverbial midnight oil in other ways.

"There are no guidebooks," explains Mrs Tan. "We don't even have a 10-year series to fall back on."

Students stand proudly beside their project work for PE.

To help the students prepare for the exam, Mrs Tan and her colleagues visited schools in the United Kingdom that have been offering 'O' level PE for many years. Observing their teachers, lessons and course structure, the Singaporean teachers were able to develop teaching material and methods for their own classes.

Project work also plays an important role in PE. Mrs Tan adds that students are charged with designing new sports and biology-related card games, board games and even models to facilitate their learning.

Schools that offer PE at 'O' levels offer students a chance to build a strong foundation for pursuing a sports-related degree or diploma. And even if they choose not to go down this path, the subject offers benefits in other areas.

Take Nicholas, for example. As head prefect. he had to juggle the heavy responsibilities of leading his team of prefects as well as maintain his training regime as a cross-country athlete. But thanks to the PE 'O' level preparations, he has gained some important multi-disciplinary lessons that he applies to other activities and pursuits.

"The mental resilience I had learnt to cultivate in my running is very applicable to my studies," he adds. "I've also learnt a great deal on people and time management."