GCSE Food and Nutrition
Learners sit Unit 1 as a digital examination, and in the two non-examination assessments they research a brief, collect and present investigation results in tables, charts, star diagrams and annotated photographs, calculate nutritional values and produce a timed plan of work. The specification names no software, so most of this can be done by hand, but digital tools make it quicker and more accurate. The single biggest thing KS3 should build is collecting food test data and turning it into clear charts in Excel that pupils use to reach a conclusion.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Level 1 and Level 2
- First taught
- September 2025
- Amount of digital work
- Medium
- Specification
- Open the specification
How this qualification is assessed
- Unit 1: Principles of Food and Nutrition: Digital examination 1 hour 30 minutes, 40%, 80 marks
- Unit 2: Food Investigation: Non-examination assessment, 8 hours, 20%, 40 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
- Unit 3: Food and Nutrition in Action: Non-examination assessment, 12 hours, 40%, 80 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
Skills that use Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
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Researching a brief online, judging reliability and referencing sources
Task 1 of Unit 3 requires learners to research and investigate the brief and choose a recipe, and Task 1 of Unit 2 requires research into the working characteristics, functional and chemical properties of ingredients.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content, Digital rights, licensing and ownership, Evaluating and improving digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils search for a healthy snack recipe online, bookmark two sites and list where each recipe came from.
- Year 8
- Pupils compare a recipe from a trusted site such as Food a fact of life with one from a social media post and decide which is more reliable and why.
- Year 9
- Pupils research how a raising agent works using refined searches and reference each source in a short bibliography.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Section 3.2, Overview of arrangements for non-examination assessment, page 28
“For Task 1, learners research and investigate the chosen task, choosing a recipe based on the brief.”
Progression step 3
I can adjust keywords and search techniques to find relevant information.
I can begin to reference sources used in my work, and consider if content is reliable.
I can cite sources when researching and explain the importance of this, e.g. create simple lists for the referencing of digital and offline sources.
Progression step 4
I can search a variety of sources using relevant search techniques with increased complexity.
I can evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justify my opinions and reasons for choices, and reference using appropriate methods.
I can understand copyright and can explain the legal and ethical dimensions of respecting creative work, e.g. exploring the ethical and legal ramifications of piracy and plagiarism and know that they are irresponsible and disrespectful, and I can apply my understanding of the rules and regulations to different scenarios.
Progression step 5
I can search efficiently for information for my digital work and evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justifying opinions and reasons for choices, and I can reference work using appropriate methods.
I can refer appropriately to sources of information used in my digital work.
I can understand individuals' rights and responsibilities as creators and consumers of content, and I can think critically and make ethical decisions about the use of creative works in relation to fair use and reference using formal citation conventions, e.g. Harvard and Oxford.
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Thinking critically about online food trends, marketing and health claims
Unit 1 requires awareness of emerging trends in lifestyle choices and current dietary trends in Wales. The specification does not name social media, but Appendix B maps Digital Competence Citizenship to Unit 1 only.
DCF: Health and well-being, Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils identify the marketing features on a cereal website or advert that are designed to attract children.
- Year 8
- Pupils check a viral diet claim from social media against NHS and Food Standards Agency advice.
- Year 9
- Pupils analyse an influencer's food post for edited images, stereotypes and health claims, and judge how trustworthy it is.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, 1.3.2 and 1.3.3, page 14; Appendix B, page 35
“emerging trends in relation to lifestyle choices”
Progression step 3
I can identify marketing elements designed to draw my attention.
I can begin to reference sources used in my work, and consider if content is reliable.
Progression step 4
I can identify stereotypes and their impact in a range of media.
I can make informed choices while making online choices, including making in-app purchases and clicking on adverts.
I can evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justify my opinions and reasons for choices, and reference using appropriate methods.
Progression step 5
I can think critically about the different purposes and contexts of digital image editing, e.g. explore the benefits and negative points of photograph manipulation, evaluate digitally edited images in terms of context and purpose.
I can search efficiently for information for my digital work and evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justifying opinions and reasons for choices, and I can reference work using appropriate methods.
Good to know
- Unit 1 is taken on screen, not on paper: "Digital examination: 1 hour 30 minutes" (Summary of assessment, page 5) and "Assessment type: Digital Examination" (Unit 1, page 11).
- Charts, photographs and star diagrams are suggested methods, not required digital outputs: "The use of the words ‘for example’ or ‘such as’ indicates that the specified content is for guidance only" (How to read the amplification, page 11), so results may be presented by hand.
- No nutritional analysis software is required or named; learners need only "be aware of" "how to calculate the nutritional value in a food outcome" (Unit 3, 3.3.3, page 24).
- Digital technology appears only as a non-assessed learning experience: "(experiences will not be directly assessed)" (page 26).
- The specification does not state whether NEA evidence is submitted digitally or on paper, and the NEAs are time limited: "will take 8 hours to complete" (Unit 2) and "will take 12 hours to complete" (Unit 3) (page 28), with detail left to the Assessment Pack (page 27).
- Malpractice rules apply to all NEA work: "Candidates must not take part in any unfair practice in the preparation of work for GCSE Food and Nutrition." (page 29). The specification says nothing specific about AI.
Links with other qualifications
Planning variables, collecting results and testing a hypothesis overlap strongly with the Sciences, and charts and nutritional calculations overlap with Mathematics.
Source: WJEC GCSE Food and Nutrition specification, Version 2, February 2025, teaching from 2025, for award from 2027 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd. 2024).