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OCR GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (J309): complete guide to the content, the written paper and the non-exam assessment

A complete guide to OCR GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (J309): nutrition, the science of cooking food, food safety, food provenance and choice, and the skills and NEA tasks, plus how the J309/01 written paper and the Food Investigation and Food Preparation tasks are assessed.

Browse guides →Syllabus dot points (29)

OCR GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (specification J309) is assessed by one written exam paper and a practical non-exam assessment. This page is the index: below is a map of the content, how the assessment works, and how to study each area.

The OCR J309 content

This site breaks the course into five study areas, each with dot-point answer pages, an overview guide and a quiz. They map onto the J309 specification sections (Section A: Nutrition; Section B: Food provenance and choice; Section C: Cooking and food preparation, which holds both the food science and food safety content; Section D: Skill requirements).

Nutrition
The macronutrients (protein, fats and oils, carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), water and fibre, energy needs and basal metabolic rate, how nutritional needs change for different groups, and diet-related health problems. See the nutrition overview.
Food: the science of cooking
Why food is cooked and how heat is transferred (conduction, convection, radiation), the cooking methods, the functional and chemical properties of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and oils and fruit and vegetables, and raising agents. See the science-of-cooking overview.
Food safety and spoilage
Microorganisms and enzymes, the signs of food spoilage, microorganisms used in food production, bacterial contamination and the main food-poisoning bacteria, and buying, storing, preparing, cooking and serving food safely. See the food-safety overview.
Food provenance and choice
Where food comes from and how it is produced, food and the environment, sustainability and food security, factors affecting food choice, food labelling and marketing, British and international cuisines, and sensory evaluation. See the provenance-and-choice overview.
Food preparation skills and the NEA
The Section D skill requirements, and the two non-exam assessment tasks: the Food Investigation Task (NEA 1) and the Food Preparation Task (NEA 2). See the skills-and-NEA overview.

How the course is assessed

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

  • Written paper: Food Preparation and Nutrition (J309/01) - 1 hour 30 minutes, 100 marks, ten compulsory questions mixing structured and free-response styles, covering all the taught content. 50%.
  • Non-exam assessment (NEA) - two practical tasks. NEA 1: the Food Investigation Task (a science investigation with a 1500 to 2000 word report, 45 marks, 15%) and NEA 2: the Food Preparation Task (planning, preparing, cooking and presenting three dishes in three hours, 105 marks, 35%). 50% in total.

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

How to study OCR Food

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

  1. Work from the specification statements. Each J309 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 and caramelisation to toffee.
  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 Task.

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-ocr/food-preparation-and-nutrition/syllabus.

For the official specification

OCR publishes the full specification (J309), past papers and mark schemes at ocr.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and OCR'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-OCR system, explained

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Common questions about Food Preparation & Nutrition

How is OCR GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (J309) structured?
The course is assessed by one written exam (J309/01, worth 50%) and a non-exam assessment (NEA) worth 50%. The written paper lasts 1 hour 30 minutes, is worth 100 marks and has ten compulsory questions mixing structured and free-response styles. The NEA has two tasks: the Food Investigation Task (NEA 1, a science investigation with a 1500 to 2000 word report, worth 15%) and the Food Preparation Task (NEA 2, planning and cooking three dishes in three hours, worth 35%). There is no tiering, so all students sit the same paper.
What does the OCR J309 written paper cover?
The J309/01 paper covers all the taught content: nutrition (macronutrients, micronutrients, water, fibre, energy needs and diet-related health); the science of cooking food (why food is cooked, heat transfer, the functional and chemical properties of food and raising agents); food safety (microorganisms, spoilage, contamination and storing food); and food provenance and choice (where food comes from, the environment, food security, factors affecting choice, labelling, cuisines and sensory evaluation). It mixes short structured questions with extended free-response answers.
What is the NEA in OCR GCSE Food (J309)?
The NEA is two practical tasks worth 50% in total. NEA 1, the Food Investigation Task (15%, 45 marks), is a science investigation: you choose one of two set tasks, investigate the working characteristics and functional and chemical properties of ingredients through practical experiments, and write a 1500 to 2000 word report. NEA 2, the Food Preparation Task (35%, 105 marks), asks you to plan, prepare, cook and present three dishes in a single three-hour session, with written and photographic evidence.
What practical skills are assessed in OCR GCSE Food?
Section D of J309 lists the skill requirements: general practical skills, knife skills, preparing fruit and vegetables, use of equipment, cooking methods, prepare-combine-and-shape, making sauces, tenderising and marinating, making dough, using raising agents and setting mixtures. These are demonstrated in the Food Preparation Task and underpin the food science content, so techniques such as gelatinisation, denaturation and using raising agents are both practised and examined in writing.
How should I study OCR GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition?
Work from the J309 specification statements, learning the nutrient table and the key food safety temperatures precisely. Pair every food science term with a food example, and practise applying nutrition and food choice to named people and products rather than just listing facts. Drill the energy and percentage calculations. Rehearse the extended free-response answers against the mark scheme, and for the NEA, plan dishes that show a range of skills and use the food science to justify your choices in the investigation.
How does OCR GCSE Food compare to other exam boards?
GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition specifications across boards share common content on nutrition, food science, safety, provenance and choice, plus a practical NEA. OCR's distinctive features are its four-section structure (Nutrition; Food provenance and choice; Cooking and food preparation; Skill requirements), a 1 hour 30 minute written paper of ten compulsory questions, and its own NEA tasks (the Food Investigation Task and the Food Preparation Task). Always revise from the current OCR specification and OCR past papers, because question wording is board-specific.