Food Science & Nutrition

Taught at Kenilworth School & Sixth Form

Exam Board: WJEC/EDUQAS 

Assessment Method: Internal and External assessment 

Unit 1 (year 12) Internal: 3 course practical exam with written research, planning, evaluation and nutritional analysis etc.  

Meeting Nutritional needs of specific groups 

Your practical skills will be tested based on a specific scenario. You will have to select suitable dishes to meet the brief and showcase the skills that you have learnt.  You will have to plan for the practical and write a detailed time plan. You will have to prepare, cook and present a three-course menu in 3.5 hours. You will then have to evaluate the menu against your target group’s needs. Photographic evidence is essential. A total time of 9.5 hours is allowed to complete this assessment. You will practice a variety of high-level skills throughout the year to showcase in your practical assessment.  You will link this to both nutritional content and food safety and hygiene.  

Unit 1 (year 12) External 

Written exam: 3 sections, short answers, medium-long answers and a case study all covering nutrition, dietary needs and Food Science and meeting the nutritional needs of specific groups 

Unit 2 (year 13) Internal  

       Unit 2 Ensuring Food is Safe to Eat is externally assessed. It covers risk assessment and HACCP for a  

        specific scenario  set each year, for example, a catering menu for a festival.  

       You must choose either Unit 3 or Unit 4 (both are internal tasks) 

       Unit 3: Experimenting to Solve Food Production Problems (Optional) 

       The aim of this unit is for learners to use their understanding of the properties of food in  

       order to plan and carry out experiments. The results of the experiments would be used to  

       propose options to solve food production problems. For example: Why does ice cream freeze with a       

       gritty texture? How do I stop cream curdling? How do I make cakes rise better? Why do salad dressings   

       separate? Why has bread turned out dense and heavy? 

       Unit 4: Current issues in Food Science and Nutrition (Optional) 

      Through this unit, you will develop the skills needed to plan, carry out and present a research project on 

      current issues linked to issues related to food science and nutrition. This could be from the perspective of a  

      consumer, food manufacturer, caterer and/or policy making perspective. For example: Are mass   

      produced economy ready meals meeting the needs of individuals? Why is catering at events such as music  

      festivals and sporting events so limited and unhealthy? How much extra will consumers pay for  

      Organic food? How important is a sustainable, equitable and affordable diet? How much packaging is  

      affecting consumer buying behavior? Are diet trends effective? Is food labelling misleading? How is the  

      media influencing our food choices? This would involve writing a Task question, hypothesis, conduction  

      secondary and primary research such as product analysis, practical work, sensory analysis, questionnaires 

      focus groups and interviews. 

Why Should I Follow This Course? 

      You are interested in Food Production, Diets and Nutrition. You might want to be a chef, a baker or study nutrition    

      for medical or sports reasons. You should enjoy cooking and be interested in why foods do certain things in the body 

      or why ingredients have special functional properties. You are interested in science as it relates to functions of  

      ingredients in food production  

       and Nutrition. 

What will I learn? 

• skills required for independent learning and development 

• skills to ensure their own dietary health and well-being and that of others. 

• a range of generic and transferable skills such as teamwork. 

• the ability to solve problems such as food production problems 

• the skills of project-based research, development such as how to prove a hypothesis and how to present    

   research gathered.  

• the ability to apply mathematical and ICT skills 

• the fundamental ability to work alongside other professionals, in a professional environment 

• the ability to apply learning in vocational contexts. 

Where Will This Qualification Take Me? 

This is an Applied General qualification. This means it is designed primarily to support learners  

progressing to university. It has been designed to offer exciting, interesting experiences that  

focus learning for 16 - 19-year-old learners through applied learning, i.e. through the acquisition  

of knowledge and understanding in purposeful, work-related contexts, linked to the food  

production industry. 

An understanding of food science and nutrition is relevant to many industries and job roles.  

Care providers and nutritionists in hospitals use this knowledge, as do sports coaches and  

fitness instructors. Hotels and restaurants, food manufacturers and government agencies also  

use this understanding to develop menus, food products and policies that support healthy  

eating initiatives. Many employment opportunities within the field of food science and nutrition  

are available to graduates, including sports nutrition. 

Entry Requirements:  

Grade 5 in Food Preparation and Nutrition, Maths and English.