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This lesson covers the identification and location of the major bones of the skeleton as required by the AQA GCSE PE specification (3.1.1.1 — Structure and Functions of the Musculoskeletal System). You need to be able to identify and locate each bone, understand where it sits within the skeleton, and relate its position to sporting movements.
The human skeleton contains 206 bones in adults, but for GCSE PE you are required to know 14 specific bones (or bone groups). Being able to identify these bones accurately is the foundation for understanding joints, movements, muscles, and sporting actions in later lessons.
The AQA specification requires you to know the following bones:
| Bone | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cranium | Head | The skull bones that enclose and protect the brain |
| Vertebrae | Spine / back | A column of 33 bones running from the skull to the pelvis |
| Scapula | Upper back / shoulder | A flat, triangular bone also known as the shoulder blade |
| Humerus | Upper arm | The long bone between the shoulder and the elbow |
| Ribs | Chest | 12 pairs of curved bones forming the ribcage |
| Sternum | Centre of the chest | The flat breastbone connecting the ribs at the front |
| Radius | Forearm (thumb side) | The shorter forearm bone on the lateral (thumb) side |
| Ulna | Forearm (little finger side) | The longer forearm bone on the medial (little finger) side |
| Pelvis | Hips | A large, basin-shaped bone supporting the spine and protecting organs |
| Femur | Upper leg / thigh | The longest and strongest bone in the body |
| Tibia | Lower leg (front / inner) | The shinbone — the larger of the two lower leg bones |
| Fibula | Lower leg (outer) | The thinner bone on the outside of the lower leg |
| Patella | Front of the knee | The kneecap — a small, flat, triangular bone |
| Talus | Ankle / foot | The ankle bone that connects the leg to the foot |
Exam Tip: You must be able to identify bones on a diagram as well as name them from a description. Practise labelling a blank skeleton diagram from memory — this is a common exam question format.
The skeleton is divided into two main parts. Understanding this division helps you organise the bones logically.
graph TD
A["The Human Skeleton"] --> B["Axial Skeleton"]
A --> C["Appendicular Skeleton"]
B --> D["Cranium"]
B --> E["Vertebrae"]
B --> F["Ribs"]
B --> G["Sternum"]
C --> H["Scapula"]
C --> I["Humerus"]
C --> J["Radius"]
C --> K["Ulna"]
C --> L["Pelvis"]
C --> M["Femur"]
C --> N["Patella"]
C --> O["Tibia"]
C --> P["Fibula"]
C --> Q["Talus"]
style A fill:#4a90d9,color:#fff
style B fill:#e67e22,color:#fff
style C fill:#27ae60,color:#fff
The axial skeleton forms the central axis of the body. It includes:
Cranium — the dome of the skull that surrounds the brain. It is made up of several fused bones and does not move. In sport, the cranium is at risk during contact activities such as rugby, boxing, and football (heading the ball).
Vertebrae — the vertebral column (spine) is made up of 33 vertebrae divided into five regions: cervical (7, in the neck), thoracic (12, in the upper back), lumbar (5, in the lower back), sacral (5, fused), and coccygeal (4, fused — the tailbone). The vertebrae protect the spinal cord and allow the trunk to flex, extend, and rotate.
Ribs — there are 12 pairs of ribs. The upper 7 pairs are "true ribs" attached directly to the sternum, the next 3 pairs are "false ribs" attached indirectly, and the bottom 2 pairs are "floating ribs" with no front attachment. Together they form the ribcage, which protects the heart and lungs.
Sternum — the flat breastbone at the front of the chest. It connects the ribs and provides attachment points for muscles. The sternum is important in CPR — chest compressions are applied directly over the sternum.
The appendicular skeleton includes the limbs, shoulder girdle, and pelvic girdle. These are the bones involved most directly in sporting movements.
Scapula — the shoulder blade is a flat, triangular bone on the upper back. It provides attachment points for many muscles including the deltoid, trapezius, and rotator cuff muscles. It moves with the shoulder during throwing, swimming, and racquet sports.
Humerus — the upper arm bone connecting the shoulder to the elbow. It forms the ball-and-socket joint at the shoulder and the hinge joint at the elbow. Throwing, batting, and serving in tennis all involve movement of the humerus.
Radius — the forearm bone on the thumb side (lateral side). It is shorter than the ulna and rotates around the ulna to allow the palm to face up (supination) or down (pronation).
Ulna — the forearm bone on the little finger side (medial side). It forms the main part of the hinge joint at the elbow. The bony point of your elbow (the olecranon process) is the top of the ulna.
Pelvis — a large, strong, basin-shaped bone at the base of the spine. It supports the weight of the upper body, protects the organs in the lower abdomen, and provides attachment for the powerful hip and thigh muscles. The pelvis connects to the femur at the hip joint.
Femur — the thigh bone and the longest, strongest bone in the body. It extends from the hip to the knee. The femur transmits body weight when standing, walking, and running. It is crucial in kicking, sprinting, and jumping.
Patella — the kneecap is a small, triangular sesamoid bone embedded within the tendon of the quadriceps muscle. It protects the front of the knee joint and acts as a lever, increasing the efficiency of the quadriceps when extending the leg.
Tibia — the shinbone is the larger of the two lower leg bones. It bears most of the body's weight below the knee and forms the knee joint above and the ankle joint below.
Fibula — the thinner bone on the outside of the lower leg. It does not bear much weight but provides attachment points for muscles and helps stabilise the ankle joint.
Talus — the ankle bone sits between the tibia/fibula above and the calcaneus (heel bone) below. It forms the ankle joint and is essential for all movements involving the foot — running, jumping, and changes of direction.
Exam Tip: A common way to remember which forearm bone is which: the Radius Rotates and is on the same side as your thumb. The Ulna is on the same side as your little finger — think "Ulna = Under" when the palm faces down.
Being able to link bones to sporting actions is essential for high marks. Here are some examples:
| Sporting Action | Key Bones Involved |
|---|---|
| Heading a football | Cranium, vertebrae |
| Throwing a javelin | Scapula, humerus, radius, ulna |
| Sprinting | Pelvis, femur, tibia, fibula, talus, patella |
| Performing a handstand | All upper and lower limb bones, vertebrae |
| Kicking a football | Femur, tibia, fibula, patella, talus |
| Catching a cricket ball | Humerus, radius, ulna |
| Sit-ups / core exercises | Vertebrae, ribs, pelvis |
| Goalkeeper diving | Scapula, humerus, pelvis, femur |
In the exam, you will be given a diagram of the skeleton and asked to label specific bones. Here is a systematic approach:
flowchart TD
A["Start at the Top"] --> B["Cranium — skull"]
B --> C["Vertebrae — spine running downwards"]
C --> D["Ribs and Sternum — chest area"]
D --> E["Scapula — upper back"]
E --> F["Humerus — upper arm"]
F --> G["Radius — thumb side of forearm"]
F --> H["Ulna — little finger side of forearm"]
D --> I["Pelvis — base of spine / hips"]
I --> J["Femur — thigh"]
J --> K["Patella — front of knee"]
K --> L["Tibia — inner shinbone"]
K --> M["Fibula — outer lower leg"]
L --> N["Talus — ankle"]
style A fill:#4a90d9,color:#fff
style I fill:#e67e22,color:#fff
style N fill:#27ae60,color:#fff
A Year 11 pupil is performing a javelin throw in an athletics lesson. The throw can be broken down into the approach, the delivery, and the recovery. Tracking the bones involved at each stage makes it much easier to memorise the 14 required bones and link them to sporting actions for the exam.
The approach (running up to the board). The runner accelerates down the runway. The femur acts as the major lever in the thigh during each stride, pivoting at the hip. The tibia and fibula form the lower leg, with the patella sliding over the front of the knee as it flexes and extends with each stride. The talus sits at the top of the ankle joint, allowing plantarflexion for push-off. The pelvis supports the upper body and transmits the force of the legs into the trunk. Meanwhile the vertebrae keep the spine upright, and the ribs and sternum protect the lungs and heart — essential as the athlete breathes hard during the run-up.
The delivery (crossover and release). The athlete performs a crossover step, plants the blocking leg, and drives into the throw. On the throwing arm, the humerus is held high behind the head. The scapula rotates on the upper back to allow the humerus to cock into the throwing position. The radius (thumb side) and ulna (little finger side) form the forearm, holding the javelin. As the athlete drives the hip and shoulder forward, the humerus swings powerfully overhead. The radius and ulna lead the throw, and the javelin leaves the hand at release.
The recovery. After release, the athlete must decelerate without fouling the line. The femur, tibia, and talus of the lead leg absorb the landing force. The vertebrae allow a small amount of trunk flexion to control the deceleration. The cranium protects the brain from any fall if the athlete loses balance.
Labelling this on a diagram. If the exam gave a diagram of this throw, students would need to label the cranium, vertebrae, scapula, humerus, radius, ulna, ribs, sternum, pelvis, femur, patella, tibia, fibula, and talus — all 14 required bones. This is why the javelin throw is such a useful revision example: virtually every bone on the AQA list is active.
A systematic check. When analysing a sporting action, work through the skeleton from top to bottom: cranium → vertebrae → scapula → humerus → radius/ulna → ribs/sternum → pelvis → femur → patella → tibia/fibula → talus. Every time you practise this routine on a different sport (football kick, netball pass, swimming stroke, tennis serve), you will find that all 14 bones crop up naturally.
Misconception: "The radius is on the little finger side of the forearm and the ulna is on the thumb side." This is the most common bone-identification error in AQA scripts. It is the other way round: the radius is on the thumb side (lateral) and the ulna is on the little finger side (medial). A simple memory aid: the Radius Rotates — put your palm down and turn it up, and you are watching the radius rotate around the ulna. Also remember that the bony point at the back of your elbow (olecranon) is the top of the ulna, not the radius. Getting this reversed will cost marks every time.
Question (6 marks): Identify and describe the location of six bones required by the AQA specification. For each, give a sporting action where the bone plays an important role.
Grade 3-4 answer (AO1 only): "There are lots of bones in the body. The skull is on the top of your head. The spine is in your back. The arm bones are in your arms. The leg bones are in your legs. You use them when you play sports like football." This answer names only 2-3 bones using non-specification language ("skull", "arm bones", "leg bones"), does not locate them precisely, and gives vague sporting context — around 1 out of 6.
Grade 5-6 answer (AO1 + AO2): "The cranium is at the top of the head and protects the brain when heading a football. The vertebrae are in the spine and keep the body upright in a rugby scrum. The humerus is in the upper arm and acts as a lever when throwing a cricket ball. The femur is in the thigh and is used in sprinting. The tibia is in the lower leg and absorbs force when running. The scapula is the shoulder blade and allows arm movement in swimming." This answer correctly names six specification bones using AQA terminology, locates each one, and links each to a clear sporting example, scoring around 4-5 out of 6.
Grade 7-9 answer (AO1 + AO2 + AO3): "Six bones from the AQA specification each play a specific role in sporting performance. The cranium (top of the head) protects the brain when heading a football. The vertebrae form the spine and allow flexion, extension, and rotation of the trunk during a gymnastic routine. The humerus (upper arm) acts as a lever at the shoulder and elbow during a tennis serve, pivoting at the ball-and-socket joint above and the hinge joint below. The scapula (shoulder blade) rotates on the upper back to allow full overhead arm movement in a javelin throw. The femur (thigh) is the longest and strongest bone in the body and acts as the primary lever at the knee during sprinting and kicking. The tibia (shinbone) bears most of the body weight below the knee and absorbs the impact of landing in long jump. Evaluating these roles, the bones of the lower limbs (femur, tibia) must withstand the greatest compressive forces, while the bones of the upper limbs (humerus, scapula) are optimised for range of movement. This trade-off between strength and mobility is why sporting actions use the lower body for power and the upper body for precision." This answer integrates AO1 identification, AO2 sporting application, and AO3 evaluation of the upper vs lower body trade-off — full 6 out of 6.
This content is aligned with the AQA GCSE Physical Education (8582) specification, Paper 1: The human body and movement in physical activity and sport — The musculoskeletal system. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, please refer to the official AQA specification document.