What will I study?

The GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition is an exciting and creative course which focuses

on practical cooking skills to ensure students develop a thorough understanding of nutrition, food

provenance and the working characteristics of food materials. At its heart, this qualification focuses

on nurturing students' practical cookery skills to give them a strong understanding of nutrition.

Food preparation skills are integrated into five core topics:

• Food, nutrition and health

• Food science

• Food safety

• Food choice

• Food provenance.

Aims and Learning Outcomes

Courses based on this specification should enable students to:

• Demonstrate effective and safe cooking skills by planning, preparing and cooking using a

variety of food commodities, cooking techniques and equipment.

• Develop knowledge and understanding of the functional properties and chemical processes

as well as the nutritional content of food and drinks.

• Understand the relationship between diet, nutrition and health, including the physiological and

psychological effects of poor diet and health.

• Understand the economic, environmental, ethical, and socio-cultural influences on food

availability, production processes, and diet and health choices.

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of functional and nutritional properties, sensory

qualities and microbiological food safety considerations when preparing, processing, storing,

cooking and serving food.

• Understand and explore a range of ingredients and processes from different culinary

traditions (traditional British and international), to inspire new ideas or modify existing

recipes.

How will I be assessed?

This course consists of 3 units. All units are undertaken in Year 11. 

Year 10 will focus on the knowledge and understanding in order to complete these tasks successfully.

One written exam = 50%

The theoretical knowledge of food preparation and nutrition will be assessed in the written exam: 

Food, nutrition and health, Food science, Food safety, Food choice and Food provenance. 

Food Science: Food Investigation Assessment (non-examined assessment) = 15%

Students will investigate the working characteristics and the functional and chemical properties of a

particular ingredient through practical investigation. They will produce a report which will include

research into 'how ingredients work and why'.

Food Preparation Assessment = 35%

In this task, students will prepare, cook and present a final menu of three dishes to meet the needs

of a specific context. Students must select appropriate technical skills and processes and create 3–

4 dishes to showcase their skills. They will then produce their final menu within a single period of

no more than 3 hours, planning in advance how this will be achieved.

Careers 

The UK's food industry is the country's biggest manufacturing sector, and forms part of a diverse and complex supply chain. Therefore, jobs within the industry are endless and include jobs for the future, such as: 

• Food scientist

• Nutritionist

• Nutritional Therapist

• Dietician

• Food technician

• Food buyer   

• Chef

• Teacher

• Food critic

• Environmental Health practitioner

• Hospitality & catering roles

• Product/process development scientist

• Quality/production manager

Is there anything else I should be aware of?

You must be prepared to bring ingredients into school for practical lessons. We will cook every other week in year 10 but this will be a lot less in year 11.

You will be expected to meet deadlines and develop independence. 

This GCSE course is not about making pretty cakes, it is highly focused on nutrition and the scientific principles of ingredients.  

For more information about this GCSE, please contact Mrs Webb

Specification