Describe the formation of sweat.

Explain the impact of high humidity on performance during a 10-kilometre race.

plasma is the source of sweat formation ✔

sympathetic nervous system activates sweat glands ✔

sweat is produced in the coiled hollow/tubular glands in the dermis of the skin ✔

the amount of sweat the body can produce is dependent on the amount of sweat the gland can produce ✔

dependent on the number/density of sweat glands «per cm²» of sweat glands an individual has ✔

amount of sweat depends on the individual/ exercise intensity/ acclimatization/ hydration status ✔

«relative» high water content of ambient air decreases capacity to accept more water molecules ✔

impacts the efficiency of the sweating mechanism/response/skin evaporation «temperature regulation» ✔

lack of evaporation of sweat inhibits cooling ✔

core temperature rises, having a negative effect on physiological functioning ✔

leads to potential decreased performance ✔

Award [2 max] if no reference made to performance

This was by some distance the hardest question in Option A. The purpose was to describe a very narrow element of the stress process. Many included a description of what happens before or after the formation of sweat, rather than the formation itself. It was however, a useful discriminator for depth of knowledge.

Generally well answered but many provided longer, superficial answers that did not include enough depth. Others did not refer to performance to answer the question directly.