Nutrition : Students develop an understanding of the functional properties, chemical processes and the nutritional content of food and drinks. They will study the relationship between diet, nutrition and health, including the physiological and psychological effects of poor diet and health.

Food provenance and Food choice - Students will understand the economic, environmental, ethical, and socio-cultural influences on food availability and choice.

Cooking and food preparation - Students will develop a full range of skills around preparation and cooking of food to demonstrate knowledge of functional, sensory and nutritional properties. They will also examine the health and safety around food preparation.

Skill requirements -Students demonstrate effective and safe cooking skills by planning, preparing and cooking using a variety of ingredients, techniques and equipment. Students will understand and explore a range of ingredients and processes from different culinary traditions and use these to inspire new ideas or modify existing recipes

Assessment

50 % of marks are gained through external examination,  taken at the end of Year 11

50 % of marks are gained through completing two internal controlled assessment tasks

Task 1 – Scientific Investigation (15%)

This assesses the scientific principles underlying the preparation and cooking of foods to include:  carbohydrates, fats/oils, protein, fruit and vegetables.

Through practical experimentation, students will investigate and evaluate the scientific and chemical properties of ingredients and use their findings in food preparation.

Task 2 - The Food Preparation Assessment (35%)

This assesses the students’ ability to plan, prepare, cook and present dishes. Each learner will prepare, cook and present a menu of three dishes within a single period of no more than 3 hours. They will plan in advance how this will be achieved. Marks are awarded for technical skills, the final outcomes, alongside their evaluation of design and execution.