What are the two Eduqas NEA tasks, and how do you plan, carry out and write them up well?
The non-exam assessment: Assessment 1 the Food Investigation (15%) using fair-test experiments and a written report, and Assessment 2 the Food Preparation Assessment (35%) planning, preparing, cooking and presenting three dishes, and how each is structured and marked.
A focused answer on the Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560) non-exam assessment, covering Assessment 1 the Food Investigation (15%) and Assessment 2 the Food Preparation Assessment (35%): what each involves, fair testing, planning and time management, and how each is structured and marked.
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to understand the two non-exam assessment tasks that make up Component 2 (50%): Assessment 1, the Food Investigation, and Assessment 2, the Food Preparation Assessment. You should know what each involves, how it is structured, the importance of fair testing and planning, and how each is marked.
Assessment 1: the Food Investigation (15%)
Typical investigations test the food science you have learned, for example how the amount or type of fat affects pastry, how different starches thicken a sauce, how raising agents affect a cake, or how gluten development affects bread. A strong report follows a clear structure: research the background science and form a hypothesis; plan a fair test; carry out the experiments; record results in tables, charts and photographs; analyse them; draw a conclusion linked to the science; and evaluate the method.
Fair testing in the investigation
A valid investigation is a fair test: change only the one thing being tested (the independent variable), keep everything else the same (the control variables), and measure the result (the dependent variable). Repeat and take an average to make results reliable, and record them objectively (measured, or a fair coded sensory test). The highest marks come from explaining the results with the science, for example that fat coats the flour and limits gluten, so more fat gives a shorter pastry.
Assessment 2: the Food Preparation Assessment (35%)
You are marked on the technical skills shown (knife skills, sauces, pastry, dough, presentation), the quality of planning and time management, working safely and hygienically, and the finished dishes (taste, texture, appearance and presentation), plus your evaluation.
Planning and time management
How it all fits together
The NEA draws on the whole course: nutrition and diet to justify dish choices, food science to explain the investigation, food safety to work hygienically, and provenance and choice to select ingredients. Doing well means combining knowledge with confident, well-planned practical skills.
Try this
Q1. State the percentage each NEA assessment is worth. [2 marks]
- Cue. Food Investigation 15%; Food Preparation Assessment 35%.
Q2. How many dishes are made in the Food Preparation Assessment, and in roughly how long? [1 mark]
- Cue. Three dishes, usually within a single three-hour session.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 20196 marksDescribe how you would plan and carry out a fair investigation into how the amount of fat affects the texture of shortcrust pastry, as in the Food Investigation.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark question framed around Assessment 1, the Food Investigation.
Form a hypothesis (for example, more fat gives a shorter, more crumbly pastry up to a point). Plan a fair test: vary only the amount of fat (the independent variable) while keeping everything else the same (the same flour, water, mixing method, rolling thickness, oven temperature and baking time). Make several samples with different fat amounts.
Test the results objectively: judge texture with a coded sensory test or by recording how the pastry crumbles or snaps, record the results in a table, and repeat for reliability. Analyse the results, draw a conclusion linked to the science (fat coats the flour and limits gluten, giving a shorter texture), and evaluate the method.
Top-band answers (5 to 6 marks) include a hypothesis, a fair test with controlled variables, objective recording, repetition and a science-linked conclusion.
Eduqas 20214 marksExplain how good planning and time management help a student succeed in the three-hour Food Preparation Assessment.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark question on Assessment 2.
Good planning means choosing dishes that show a range of skills and fit the brief, then writing a time plan that orders the tasks sensibly: start the longest jobs first (such as a dish that needs to bake or chill), dovetail tasks so the oven and hob are used efficiently, and build in checks for safety and quality.
Good time management means following the plan, working tidily and safely (clearing as you go), and finishing all three dishes ready to serve at the same time. This lets the student show their skills calmly and present the dishes well, gaining marks for making and presentation.
Markers reward linking planning (dovetailing, ordering tasks, starting long jobs first) and time management (working to the plan, finishing on time) to a successful, well-presented outcome.
Related dot points
- Cooking and preparation skills: knife skills and preparation techniques, water-based, dry and fat-based cooking methods, how cooking affects nutrients, and choosing the right method and equipment for a dish.
A focused answer on cooking and preparation skills for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering knife and preparation skills, water-based, dry and fat-based cooking methods, how cooking affects nutrients, and choosing the right method and equipment for a dish.
- Bacterial contamination and food safety: the main food-poisoning bacteria, sources and symptoms, cross-contamination, the conditions bacteria need, the key temperatures, and safe buying, storing, preparing, cooking and serving of food.
A focused answer on bacterial contamination and food safety for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering the main food-poisoning bacteria, sources and symptoms, cross-contamination, the conditions bacteria need, the key temperatures, and safe food handling from buying to serving.
- Food choice, sensory evaluation and labelling: the factors that affect food choice, sensory testing methods, food labelling law and nutrition information, and how marketing and packaging influence what we buy.
A focused answer on food choice, sensory evaluation and labelling for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering the factors that affect food choice, sensory testing methods, food labelling law and nutrition information, and how marketing and packaging influence buying.
- Why food is cooked (safety, digestibility, palatability, variety and shelf life) and the three methods of heat transfer into food: conduction, convection and radiation, each linked to cooking methods.
A focused answer on why food is cooked and how heat is transferred for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering the reasons for cooking (safety, digestibility, palatability, variety, shelf life) and conduction, convection and radiation with cooking examples.
- The functional and chemical properties of protein: denaturation, coagulation, foam formation (aeration of egg) and gluten formation, with food examples and the conditions that cause each.
A focused answer on the functional and chemical properties of protein for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering denaturation, coagulation, foam formation and gluten formation, the conditions that cause them, and their food examples.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition specification (C560) — WJEC Eduqas (2016)