Skills for Life: Food Planning and Preparation
Food planning and preparation is a Skills for Life unit about nutrition, balanced diets and cooking safely for yourself and others on a budget while cutting food waste. It is one 20 hour unit that learners combine with other units into a Skills for Life or Skills for Work Award, Certificate or Diploma, from Entry 1 to Level 2. Digital demand is low: no assessment criterion asks for a digital tool. Digital work sits in researching recipes and nutrition online, building and costing meal plans, analysing the nutritional content of meals, photographing or filming practical work for the portfolio, and acknowledging any sources or AI tools used.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 20
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- Low
How this unit is assessed
- Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): 4 learning outcomes with assessment criteria at Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3 (nutrition and a balanced diet, planning simple meals on a budget without waste, preparing food safely, food storage and hygiene). Evidence is compiled in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 and Level 2: 4 learning outcomes with assessment criteria at Level 1 and Level 2 (nutritional needs and balanced diets, planning and adapting meals for nutrition, budget, availability and waste, preparing and cooking a variety of dishes safely, food handling, storage and hygiene in a range of settings). Evidence is compiled in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
The digital skills in this qualification
-
Researching recipes and nutrition information online
The unit overview says digital competence is supported when learners research recipes and nutritional information or use online tools to plan meals, and a Level 1 and Level 2 suggested activity is researching and presenting on different nutrients. No assessment criterion requires online research, so this is taught, not assessed, at every level.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils search a recipe website for a simple vegetable soup, try two different sets of keywords and note which gave the more useful results.
- Year 8
- Pupils find the fibre and sugar content of three breakfast cereals on manufacturer and supermarket websites and record where each figure came from.
- Year 9
- Pupils compare advice on reducing salt from the NHS Eatwell Guide pages and a food blog, decide which source is more reliable and explain why in two sentences with references.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit overview, integral and cross-curricular skills, page 4; Suggested activities for Level 1 and 2 learners, page 11
“Digital competence is supported when researching recipes, nutritional information or using online tools to plan meals”
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.
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.
-
Planning and costing meals in a table or spreadsheet
Level 1 learners outline a meal plan that meets nutritional needs and budget constraints, and Level 2 learners create a meal plan for at least three consecutive days that meets nutritional, budget and sustainability goals. The criteria require the plan, not a digital tool, but a table or spreadsheet that totals ingredient costs against a budget is a natural way to produce and evidence it.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content, Data and information literacy
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils type the ingredients and prices for a fruit salad into a spreadsheet and use SUM to find the total cost.
- Year 8
- Pupils build a spreadsheet for a two course meal for four, with a cost per ingredient, a total, a cost per portion and a cell that shows how much of a £10 budget is left.
- Year 9
- Pupils plan three days of balanced meals in a spreadsheet, total the cost for each day against a set budget and swap one ingredient to bring an overspend back within budget.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 2, assessment criteria 2.1 and 2.2, page 7; Amplification, learning outcome 2, page 9
“cost meals and work within a budget”
Progression step 3
I can independently create and plan work before beginning a digital task.
I can construct, refine and interrogate data sets within tables, charts, spreadsheets and databases to test or support an investigation.
I can use a range of spreadsheet formulae, e.g. + - / x, sum, average, max, min.
Progression step 4
I can select and effectively use a variety of planning techniques.
I can perform analysis on simple data sets including grouping data as appropriate.
-
Analysing the nutritional content of meals
Level 2 learners assess the nutritional content of meals and suggest improvements, and the amplification asks Level 1 and Level 2 learners to analyse the nutritional content of meals and snacks. The criterion is assessed, but using an online nutrition calculator or spreadsheet to do the analysis is the learner's or centre's choice.
DCF: Data and information literacy
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils copy the energy, fat, sugar and salt figures from the labels of two snacks into a table and circle the healthier choice.
- Year 8
- Pupils enter the nutrition figures for a packed lunch into a spreadsheet, add a bar chart of sugar per item and write one improvement.
- Year 9
- Pupils use an online nutrition analysis tool to analyse a pasta dish they cooked, compare the results with reference intakes and suggest two changes to the recipe.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 1, assessment criterion L2 1.1, page 7; Amplification, learning outcome 1, page 9
“analyse the nutritional content of meals and snacks”
Progression step 3
I can construct, refine and interrogate data sets within tables, charts, spreadsheets and databases to test or support an investigation.
Progression step 4
I can perform analysis on simple data sets including grouping data as appropriate.
-
Recording practical cooking with photos and video
Possible sources of evidence include photos of prepared dishes and digital records such as videos of cooking sessions showing practical skills and safe procedure, and the specification lists photographic evidence and video recordings as evidence types. Recording is a way of evidencing the practical criteria at every level, not a requirement in its own right.
DCF: Creating digital content, Storing and sharing
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils take a photo of their finished fruit salad on a tablet and save it into a named class folder.
- Year 8
- Pupils take photos at three stages of making a pizza toast, add a caption to each in a slide and save it to their online portfolio folder.
- Year 9
- Pupils film a partner demonstrating safe knife skills, trim the clip and add text labels that point out the bridge and claw grips before uploading it.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Sources of evidence, page 11; Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.1 evidence requirements, page 18
“digital records, such as videos of cooking sessions, demonstrating practical skills and safe procedure”
Progression step 3
I can use a range of software to select, produce and edit a range of multimedia components for a purpose, such as:
- text and images, e.g. format text (bold, underline, italics, highlight); insert and edit text boxes; columns; use refine tools (spellchecker, find and replace); word wrap; crop; alter size and shape; alter images; add effects; trim and split sound and video clips; transitions; onion skin
- presentation, e.g. page orientation; animations; transitions; remove and alter images; use background; use action buttons to create hyperlink; embed objects.
I can manage files and folders locally or online, e.g. move files to a folder.
Progression step 4
I can select and use a variety of appropriate software, tools and techniques to create, modify and combine multimedia components for a range of audiences and purposes, such as:
- text and images, e.g. explore and use effectively image manipulation techniques; explore and use appropriately the many aspects of document layout; use animation, video and audio effects such as echo, tempo, envelope, layering, frame rate, key frames
- presentation, e.g. use design tools; adapt themes and colours to suit the purpose; create master templates.
-
Acknowledging sources and AI tools
The shared specification treats unacknowledged use of AI tools as malpractice and says learners cannot be credited for work that is not their own. This applies to research on nutrition, recipes and meal plans at every level; it is a malpractice rule, not an assessment criterion.
DCF: Digital rights, licensing and ownership, Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils add the web address of the recipe they used under their dish photo and discuss why copying someone else's work as your own is plagiarism.
- Year 8
- Pupils keep a simple source list for a fact sheet on fibre, with the website name, page title and date for each source.
- Year 9
- Pupils write a short note at the end of a meal plan saying which sources and any AI tool they used and what they used each one for.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.6 malpractice including the misuse of AI tools, page 21
“Failing to acknowledge use of AI tools when they have been used as a source of information.”
Progression step 3
I can understand that copying the work of others and presenting it as my own is plagiarism.
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 evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justify my opinions and reasons for choices, and reference using appropriate methods.
I can act responsibly as creator and user of creative work, e.g. exploring decisions that creators make when exercising their creative rights and responsibilities, giving consideration to ethical, real-life issues.
Good to know
- The unit has five codes, one per level, from "S612E1" to "S612L2", and carries "20" guided learning hours (Unit overview, page 3).
- Practical cooking needs a food space: "Centres may require access to a basic food room or adaptable space, standard utensils and equipment, ingredients, and hygiene/safety materials" (Resources required for delivery, page 13). Assessment "should not require any additional resources to those required for delivery" (page 14).
- No assessment criterion requires a digital tool. Digital work appears only in the overview, suggested activities and evidence lists, and Appendix A of the specification marks Digital competence for this unit (page 28).
- Practical work can be evidenced digitally, for example "photos of prepared dishes or meals demonstrating safe cooking and presentation" and "videos of cooking sessions" (Sources of evidence, page 11). The portfolio "is not limited to paper-based materials" (specification, section 4.1, page 18) and evidence sampled by WJEC "must be provided digitally by the centre" (specification, page 23).
- AI tools may be used only when acknowledged: the specification lists "Incomplete or poor acknowledgement of AI tools" as AI misuse, and learners "cannot be credited for any work they produce for assessment which is not their own" (section 4.6, page 21).
- Suggested assessment tasks "are not mandatory"; teachers may use, adapt or replace them (specification, section 4.1, page 18).
Links with other qualifications
The pack names GCSE Food and Nutrition and VCSE Hospitality and Catering as linked WJEC qualifications. Nutrients, the Eatwell Guide, food hygiene and storage, costing dishes and cooking methods overlap with both, and with Foundation Hospitality and Catering, so a learner working towards those courses can use the same recipe research, costing spreadsheets and photo evidence. Related Skills Suite units named in the pack are Home management and maintenance, Basic first aid, Financial literacy, Healthy lifestyle, Healthy relationships, Looking after others, Practical gardening and Teamwork; Financial literacy shares the budgeting and Healthy lifestyle shares the healthy eating work.
Source: WJEC Food planning and preparation unit delivery and assessment pack, read with the WJEC Entry 1 to Level 2 Skills for Life and Skills for Work specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).