NESA Key Word Analyse
Apr 27, 2023
The Health and Movement Science syllabus uses the NESA key word “analyse” often. It is important you understand this term and what it means. Not only do exams use anlayse to ask questions in exams analyse also tells you the depth to which you need to know the content and what you need to be able to do with it.
NESA provides the following definition of analyse:
Identify components and the relationship between them; draw out and relate implications.
Comparing the key word Analyse to other NESA Key Words
In a previous post, I provided a way to categorise the NESA key words to enable you to understand and apply them. The key word analyse is very similar to explain:
Relate cause and effect; make the relationships between things evident; provide why and/or how
Both require connections to be made between components. However, explain is often used for cause and effect, whereas analyse is used to draw out the relationship between components and provide the implications. Eg) Hydrogen ions cause fatigue in the lactic acid energy system, whereas, oxygen allows ATP to be produced from fat which allows for a longer period of performance (oxygen is not the cause but is required).
Furthermore, the key word analyse is a level above “describe” which asks you to:
Provide characteristics and features
Analyse goes beyond this, asking you to connect these characteristics and features rather than simply providing them.
In a Health and Movement Science HSC exam the word analyse may not occur in the question. The question could use the term “how”, “what”, and/ or “effect/affects” as it asks you to show the relationship. For example, how does the aerobic energy system affect performance?
Studying for Analyse
In preparation for HMS HSC exam questions that use the key word analyse, I highly recommend the use of mind maps. This will help to make the relationships between components evident as lines join the various sections and help you to fully understand the topic.
Answering an analyse question
When answering a question that asks you to analyse you should use linking words. Some examples include: therefore, thus, as a result, and leading to. You use these in order to illustrate the relationship between each of the components/points.
If we look to apply this to the energy systems, where the syllabus says you need to “analyse the ATP-PCr, Glycolytic (Lactic Acid) and Aerobic energy systems of the body” you will need to identify the various components of each energy system and how they relate to each other. This will involve knowledge and application of the energy system in terms of the implications for performance.
The HMS syllabus is helpful providing us with the components we should use for the key term analyse. These components are listed under the dot point:
- analyse the ATP-PCr, Glycolytic (Lactic Acid) and Aerobic energy systems of the body, including:
- fuel source and efficiency of ATP production, duration, intensity and rate of recovery
- causes of fatigue
- interplay of the energy systems
So in analysing each energy system you need to identify the above components and relate them to each other. For example, how does the source of fuel affect fatigue? Or how does the cause of fatigue relate to the rate of recovery? For example:
The ATP-PCr energy system only lasts ~10 seconds because it runs out of fuel (ATP/PC). The system recovers quickly though as there is no waste product that needs to be removed, the fuel simply needs to be replenished.
OR
The aerobic energy system can be used for extensive periods because fat and carbohydrates are used as fuel sources and fat particularly produces lots of ATP, however, this is not produced quickly and so the system cannot be used for high intensity work loads.
The key word analyse also requires you to relate the implications. In the statements above, the implications come by connecting the components. The aerobic energy system cannot produce energy fast enough for high intensities. Therefore, the body relies on the anaerobic systems during this time. Maintaining high intensity for extended periods of time (30+ seconds) leads to a build-up of lactic acid.
Access a scaffold for the key word analyse here: Scaffold for analyse.
The NESA key word Analyse in the Health and Movement Science Syllabus
The key word analyse appears in the HMS syllabus in the following locations:
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