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Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560): complete guide to the six content areas, the written paper and the non-exam assessment

A complete guide to WJEC Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560) for England: the six areas of content (food commodities, principles of nutrition, diet and good health, the science of food, where food comes from, cooking and food preparation), how Component 1 and the NEA work, and how to study each area.

Browse guides →Syllabus dot points (28)

WJEC Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (specification C560) is assessed by one written exam paper and a practical non-exam assessment. This page is the index: below is a map of the six areas of content, how the assessment works, and how to study each area.

The Eduqas C560 content

This site breaks the course into six study areas, matching the Eduqas areas of content. Each area has dot-point answer pages, an overview guide and a quiz.

Food commodities
The major commodity groups (cereals; fruit and vegetables; milk, cheese and yoghurt; meat, fish and eggs; soya, tofu, beans, nuts and seeds; butter, oils, margarine, sugar and syrup), their value in the diet, and how each is produced, stored and used. See the food-commodities overview.
Principles of nutrition
The macronutrients (protein, fats and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), water and dietary fibre, their functions, sources and the effects of deficiency or excess. See the principles-of-nutrition overview.
Diet and good health
The Eatwell Guide and current dietary guidelines, energy needs and BMR, how nutritional needs change through the life stages, and the diet-related health conditions linked to a poor diet. See the diet-and-good-health overview.
The science of food
Why food is cooked and how heat is transferred (conduction, convection, radiation), and the functional and chemical properties of food (denaturation, coagulation, gluten formation, gelatinisation, dextrinisation, caramelisation, aeration, shortening, plasticity and emulsification). See the science-of-food overview.
Where food comes from
Food provenance and production, food and the environment (food miles, carbon footprint, packaging and food waste), food security, and food processing (primary and secondary, additives and genetic modification). See the where-food-comes-from overview.
Cooking and food preparation
The practical skills, food safety, sensory evaluation, and the two non-exam assessment tasks: the Food Investigation (Assessment 1) and the Food Preparation Assessment (Assessment 2). See the cooking-and-NEA overview.

How the course is assessed

Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition is assessed in two halves, both completed during the course.

  • Component 1: Principles of Food Preparation and Nutrition - a written paper of 1 hour 45 minutes, 100 marks, with Section A (short compulsory questions based on stimulus material) and Section B (structured and extended-response questions). It can assess all six areas of content. 50%.
  • Component 2: Food Preparation and Nutrition in Action (NEA) - two practical assessments. Assessment 1: the Food Investigation (a science investigation with a report of about 1500 to 2000 words, 15%) and Assessment 2: the Food Preparation Assessment (planning, preparing, cooking and presenting three dishes in a three-hour session, 35%). 50% in total.

There is no tiering, so all students sit the same written paper.

How to study Eduqas Food

Food rewards precise factual recall, applied reasoning and confident practical skills together.

  1. Work from the specification statements. Each C560 content statement is a checklist; written-paper questions are drawn from them.
  2. Learn the tables cold. Know the function, sources and deficiency or excess of every nutrient, and the key food safety temperatures (fridge below 5, freezer minus 18, danger zone 5 to 63, cooked centre above 75).
  3. Pair food science with examples. Link gelatinisation to a sauce, denaturation to an egg, gluten to bread, caramelisation to toffee and emulsification to mayonnaise.
  4. Apply, do not list. Higher marks come from linking nutrition, choice and provenance to a named person, product or context.
  5. Drill the calculations. Energy from macronutrients, basal metabolic rate, percentage of energy from a nutrient and percentage of reference intakes all appear.
  6. Prepare for the NEA. Plan dishes that show a range of skills, and use the food science to justify your choices in the Food Investigation.

The study areas, dot point by dot point

Each area has an overview guide, dot-point answer pages and a quiz. Browse the full set at /gcse-eduqas/food-preparation-and-nutrition/syllabus.

For the official specification

Eduqas publishes the full specification (C560), past papers and mark schemes at eduqas.co.uk. Always revise from the current specification and Eduqas's own past papers, because question style is board-specific.

Food Preparation & Nutrition guides

In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.

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Food Preparation & Nutrition practice quizzes

Multiple-choice drills with worked answer explanations. Your scores stay on this device.

The GCSE-EDUQAS system, explained

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Common questions about Food Preparation & Nutrition

How is Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560) structured?
The course is assessed by one written exam (Component 1, worth 50%) and a non-exam assessment (Component 2, the NEA, worth 50%). Component 1 lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, is worth 100 marks, and has a Section A of short compulsory questions based on stimulus material and a Section B of structured and extended-response questions. The NEA has two assessments: Assessment 1, the Food Investigation (a science investigation with a written report of about 1500 to 2000 words, worth 15%), and Assessment 2, the Food Preparation Assessment (planning, preparing, cooking and presenting three dishes in a three-hour session, worth 35%). There is no tiering, so all students sit the same paper.
What are the six areas of content in Eduqas GCSE Food?
Eduqas organises the course into six areas of content: food commodities (the major commodity groups and their value), principles of nutrition (macronutrients, micronutrients, water and fibre), diet and good health (the Eatwell Guide, dietary guidelines, nutritional needs through life and diet-related health), the science of food (why food is cooked, heat transfer and the functional and chemical properties of food), where food comes from (food provenance, the environment, food security and production), and cooking and food preparation (skills, sensory evaluation and the NEA). Component 1 can assess all six areas.
What is the NEA in Eduqas GCSE Food (C560)?
The non-exam assessment (Component 2) is worth 50% in total and is split into two assessments. Assessment 1, the Food Investigation, is worth 15% (around 8 hours): you investigate the working characteristics and the functional and chemical properties of ingredients through experiments, then write a report of about 1500 to 2000 words. Assessment 2, the Food Preparation Assessment, is worth 35% (around 12 hours): you research, plan, prepare, cook and present a menu of three dishes, usually within a single three-hour practical session, with written and photographic evidence and an evaluation.
What functional and chemical properties do I need for Eduqas Food?
The science of food area requires denaturation and coagulation of protein, gluten formation, gelatinisation of starch, dextrinisation and caramelisation of sugar, aeration, shortening and plasticity of fats, and emulsification. You also need to know why food is cooked (to make it safe, improve appearance, taste, texture, variety and digestibility) and the three methods of heat transfer (conduction, convection and radiation), each paired with a cooking example. Pair every term with a food example, because Component 1 rewards applied explanation over definitions alone.
How should I study Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition?
Work from the C560 specification statements, learn the nutrient table and the key food safety temperatures precisely, and pair every food science term with a food example. Drill the energy and percentage calculations (4 kcal per gram for protein and carbohydrate, 9 kcal per gram for fat, and BMR multiplied by PAL). Practise applying nutrition, food choice and provenance to named people and products rather than just listing facts, and rehearse the extended-response questions against Eduqas mark schemes. For the NEA, plan dishes that show a range of skills and use the food science to justify your choices in the Food Investigation.
How does Eduqas GCSE Food compare to other exam boards?
GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition specifications across boards (Eduqas, AQA, OCR, Edexcel) share common content on nutrition, food science, safety, provenance and choice, plus a practical NEA. Eduqas's distinctive features are its six named areas of content, its C560 specification code, a 1 hour 45 minute written paper of 100 marks with a stimulus-based Section A, and its own NEA tasks (the Food Investigation and the Food Preparation Assessment). Always revise from the current Eduqas specification and Eduqas past papers, because question wording is board-specific.