GCSE Food Prep & Nutrition

Welcome to the GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition of our Department website. Please take a look at the information about the course below and if you have any further questions get in touch!

Course Structure

The aims of this new GCSE course is to teach students about a wide range of food preparation skills and develop their understanding of:

  • Food, Nutrition and Health

  • Food Science

  • Food Safety

  • Food Choice & Provenance

The assessment of this course is 50% written exam and 50% Non-examined Assessment (NEA). The NEA is split into two sections;:

  • A Food Investigation Task (worth 15%) - This is completed in the September of Year 11 and is set by the exam board on the 1st September

  • A Food Preparation Task (worth 35%) - This is again set by the exam board and the tasks are released in the November of Year 11. More details of these can be found in the specification (link further down the page!)

Students will have weekly practicals which link to the course learning. This will help them develop their practical skills, presentation skills and knowledge of foods. It is vital that students entering this course understand the requirement to bring ingredients regularly as they are assessed on their practical work in the NEA.

Useful Links

AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition Website- Specification can be found here

Links to Course Recipes- Just in case you lose a recipe or want to see what is coming up!

Link to purchase course textbook

Link to purchase revision guide/ workbook

FAQ's

Why should I study GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition?

The real question is why not? If you enjoy food and prefer learning in a practical manner then this is the course for you! 50% of the grade comes from NEA's. It also has strong links with other subjects including; Biology, Chemistry, Geography and PE. Still not convinced...speak to students who are currently taking GCSE Food- they love it!

What is the difference between Food Prep and NCFE Food and Cookery?

We get this question a lot. They both equate to GCSE grades. The main difference is the way these are assessed. The GCSE course has an exam at the end of year 11 and is worth 50% and the 2 NEA's make up the other 50% (35% & 15% as detailed above). NCFE is taught in four units each worth 25%. One of these units is an externally assessed exam and the others are taught in lessons and evidenced through class-work.

Will there be lots of practical work?

Yes- we have weekly practicals where you will be required to bring ingredients for. The link to recipes covered on the course can be found above. We will also try to teach theory lessons in a practical manner where possible as well. So if you like to cook and want to learn new skills then this is a really good course for you!

What transferable skills will you develop during this course?


What careers/progression is there if I study Food Prep & Nutrition?

There are many careers linked to the Food Industry and Nutrition. These include; Clinical Dietitian, Sports Nutritionist, Child Nutritionist,Public Health Nutrition, Food and Nutrition Management. Food Scientist, Food Technologist, Product Developer, Catering, Food Photography, Environmental Health Officer, plus many more. We also deliver WJEC Level 3 Food & Nutrition which is equivalent to A-Levels.

“The Food Industry equates to 13% of total employment in the UK and 109,000 new recruits will be needed by 2022.”