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England · OCRQ&A
Food Preparation & NutritionQ&A by dot point
A short Q&A bank for every England Food Preparation & Nutrition syllabus dot point. Each question and answer is drawn directly from our worked dot-point page, so you can scan key concepts before opening the long-form answer.
Section D: Skill requirements
- The Section D skill requirements: general skills, knife skills, preparing fruit and vegetables, use of equipment, cooking methods, prepare-combine-and-shape, sauces, tenderising and marinating, dough, raising agents and setting mixtures.2Q&A pairs
- Planning and time management for practical work: writing a clear time plan, mise en place, ordering and dovetailing tasks, managing the cooker and equipment, contingency, and working safely and hygienically.3Q&A pairs
- Presentation and evaluation of food: the principles of presenting dishes (portion, colour, garnish, height, balance), and how to evaluate a dish against the brief using sensory analysis, nutrition and suggested improvements.2Q&A pairs
- NEA 1, the Food Investigation Task: investigating the working characteristics and functional and chemical properties of ingredients through practical experiments, the structure of the 1500 to 2000 word report, and how it is marked.2Q&A pairs
- NEA 2, the Food Preparation Task: planning, preparing, cooking and presenting a menu of three dishes within three hours, the dovetailed time plan, the technical skills shown, and how it is marked.2Q&A pairs
Section B: Food (food provenance and food choice)
- Culinary traditions, British and international cuisines: the characteristic ingredients, cooking methods, equipment and presentation of different cuisines, and the factors that shape a cuisine.2Q&A pairs
- Factors affecting food choice: cost, availability, time, lifestyle, preferences, health, religion, culture, ethical and moral beliefs, and medical conditions and allergies.2Q&A pairs
- Food and the environment: food miles and carbon footprint, the environmental impact of packaging, transport and food production, seasonal and local food, and the effects of food waste.2Q&A pairs
- Food labelling and marketing: the mandatory information required by law, allergen labelling, traffic-light and reference-intake nutrition labelling, date marks, and how marketing influences food choice.2Q&A pairs
- Food provenance and production: where food comes from (grown, reared, caught), primary and secondary processing, intensive, organic and free-range farming, sustainable fishing, and the meaning of food miles and seasonality.2Q&A pairs
- Sensory evaluation: the senses used to judge food, sensory descriptors, the main sensory testing methods (preference, discrimination and ranking tests), and how to set up a fair, valid sensory test.2Q&A pairs
- Sustainability of food and food security: sustainable food production, the 3 Rs of waste, food security and the factors that threaten it, food poverty and food banks, and reducing and recycling food waste.2Q&A pairs
Section C: Cooking and food preparation (food safety)
- Bacterial contamination and the main food-poisoning bacteria (salmonella, E. coli, campylobacter, listeria, staphylococcus aureus), the sources and symptoms, and cross-contamination and how to prevent it.2Q&A pairs
- Buying and storing food safely: checking food on purchase, the safe fridge and freezer temperatures, stock rotation, correct storage of different foods, and safe freezing and defrosting.2Q&A pairs
- Microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts and moulds) and enzymes: the conditions they need to grow, how they spoil food, and how some are used helpfully in food production.2Q&A pairs
- Preparing, cooking and serving food safely: personal and kitchen hygiene, the 4 Cs, the key safety temperatures, cooking thoroughly, cooling and reheating, and keeping hot and cold food at safe temperatures.2Q&A pairs
- The signs of food spoilage (changes in smell, taste, texture, colour and the appearance of mould), the difference between use-by and best-before dates, and the meaning of high-risk foods.2Q&A pairs
Section C: Cooking and food preparation
- The water-based, fat-based and dry cooking methods, how each affects nutrients, flavour and texture, and how to select an appropriate method for a given food and a healthy outcome.2Q&A pairs
- The functional and chemical properties of fats and oils (shortening, aeration, plasticity and emulsification) and of fruit and vegetables (enzymic browning and oxidation), with food examples and ways to control each.2Q&A pairs
- The functional and chemical properties of carbohydrate: gelatinisation of starch, dextrinisation and caramelisation, with the temperatures, conditions and food examples for each.2Q&A pairs
- 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.2Q&A pairs
- Raising agents and how they make products rise: biological (yeast), chemical (bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, self-raising flour) and mechanical (trapped air and steam), with the gas produced and food examples.2Q&A pairs
- The reasons food is cooked (safety, digestibility, palatability, variety and shelf life) and the three methods of heat transfer into food: conduction, convection and radiation.2Q&A pairs
Section A: Nutrition
- Diet-related health problems: obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, tooth decay, bone health (rickets and osteoporosis), anaemia and the effects of too much salt, sugar and saturated fat, and dietary changes to reduce the risk.2Q&A pairs
- Energy needs: the sources of energy from food, basal metabolic rate (BMR) and physical activity level (PAL), how energy requirements vary with age, sex and activity, energy balance, and the proportion of energy that should come from each macronutrient.2Q&A pairs
- Protein, fats and oils and carbohydrates: their composition, functions, sources, biological and complementary value, saturated and unsaturated fats, simple and complex carbohydrates, and the effects of excess or deficiency.2Q&A pairs
- Micronutrients: the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble vitamins (B group and C), and the key minerals (calcium, iron, sodium, fluoride, phosphorus and iodine): their functions, sources and the effects of deficiency.2Q&A pairs
- How nutritional needs change for specific groups: babies and young children, teenagers, adults, the elderly, pregnant women and people with specific dietary needs, and how to plan balanced meals using the Eatwell Guide and the 8 tips for healthy eating.2Q&A pairs
- Water and dietary fibre (NSP): their functions in the body, sources, recommended intakes and the effects of having too little, including dehydration and the role of fibre in digestive health.2Q&A pairs