Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 Implementation
Choosing GCSE Eduqas Design and Technology or GCSE Eduqas Food Preparation and Nutrition opens doors to creativity, innovation, and essential life skills. In Design and Technology, students explore product design through technical knowledge and hands-on practical work, inspired by real-world contexts and problem-solving challenges. In Food Preparation and Nutrition, students develop a deep understanding of food science, nutrition, and culinary skills, rooted in practical applications and real-life scenarios. Both subjects equip learners with the technical expertise, creativity, and confidence needed to thrive in further education, careers, and everyday life.
Key Stage 4 Course Offerings
Food Preparation and Nutrition
Studying Food Preparation and Nutrition will equip students with the knowledge, understanding and skills required to cook and apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating. It will encourage students too cook and be able to make informed decisions about food and nutrition and will also allow students to acquire knowledge and understanding required in order to be able to feed themselves and others affordably and nutritiously, now and later in life.
This qualification in food and preparation will enable students to make connections between theory and practice so that they are able to apply their understanding of food science and nutrition to practical cooking. The content relates to the study of both food and drinks.
Students will develop skills in:
- Demonstrating effective and safe cooking skills by planning, preparing and cooking a variety of food commodities whilst using different cooking techniques and equipment
- Developing knowledge and understanding of the functional properties and chemical characteristics of food as well as a sound knowledge of the nutritional content of food and drinks
- Understanding the relationship between diet, nutrition and health, including physiological and psychological effects of poor diet and health
- Understanding the economic, environmental, ethical and socio-cultural influences on food availability, production and processes, diet and health choices
- Demonstration knowledge and understanding of functional and nutritional properties, sensory qualities and microbiological food safety considerations when preparing, processing, storing, cooking and serving food
- Understanding and exploring a range of ingredients and processes from different culinary traditions (traditional British and international) to inspire new ideas or modify existing recipes
Assessments - In Year 10, the students will be assessed at the end of each term on written assessment that prepare the students for the GCSE exam which they will sit in Year 11. They will also be assessed on practical skills learnt and developed each term.
In Year 11, the students will have two components to complete. Component 1 is the written exam based on the principles of food preparation and nutrition which is a 1 hour and 45-minute exam, marked out of 100 and is 50% of the qualification. Component 2 is made up of two tasks. Task 1 being a food investigation assessment which will take the students 8 hours and is 15% of the qualification. It will involve practical experimental work and written work based on a specific food commodity such as bread or pastry. Task 2 being a food preparation assessment which will take the students 12 hours to complete and is 35% of the qualification. It will involve; research to respond to a given brief plus planning, preparation, cooking (3 hour session) and presentation of the three dishes plus accompaniments (if appropriate) to form a menu.
Design and Technology
Through studying Design and Technology, students will be prepared to participate confidently and successfully in an increasingly technological world; and be aware of, and learn from, wider influences on design and technology, including historical, social/cultural, environmental and economic factors.
The course will offer students the opportunity to solve real problems by designing and making products.
Students will study, technical principles and designing and making principles which will allow them to develop knowledge and understanding of design and technology, its impact on daily life, and develop a broad understanding of materials, systems and processes.
Students will these develop skills for further education, work and life:
- Creative and innovative thinking
- Use of imagination and experimentation
- Ability to critique and refine their own ideas
- Knowledge and understanding of all design and technological activity and influences
- Decision making skills
- Develop high quality, imaginative and functional prototypes
- Communication skills
Assessments - In Year 10, the students will be assessed at the end of each term on written assessment that prepare the students for the GCSE exam which they will sit in Year 11. They will also be assessed on practical skills learnt and developed each term. In Term 6 of Year 10, students will get their GCSE design brief set by the exam board.
In Year 11, the students will be assessed in two component areas. Component 1 is a written examination that is 2 hours long that is based on a mixture of short answer, structured and extended writing questions to assess the student’s knowledge and understanding of technical principles, designing and making principles along with their ability to analyse and evaluate design decision and wider issues in design and technology. This is 50% of the qualification. Component 2 is a design and make task (coursework based) that is based on a contextual challenge (briefs) set by the exam board, assessing the student’s ability to, identify, investigate and outline design possibilities, design and make prototypes and analyse and evaluate design decisions and wider issues in design and technology.
Year 10
Product Design - Year 10 covers a broad range of disciplines, knowledge and skills. Student will be expose to the material areas of Textiles, Ferrous and Non-Ferrous metals, Papers and Boards, Electronics, Mechanisms, Timbers and Man Mande Boards and Polymers. This will be deepening students learning from KS3 whilst teaching students critical knowledge for the GCSE.
Food Technology - Year 10 culminates student’s experiences from KS3 as we push them further into the field of Food and Nutrition. Here, students gain a deeper understanding of Nutrition, Ingredients and their seasonal availability and safe Food practices. The course also entails some Scientific experimentations with food to understand how and why we cook food – including digestion, taste, texture and appearance and avoiding food contamination.
Year 11
Product Design - For term 6 of Year 10 and the rest of year 11, students focus on their Non-Examination Assessment. This consists of following design process and developing an iterative sketchbook to develop ideas and design, plan, make and evaluate a product to solve a problem of their own development. Alongside this, students will also prepare for the exam which covers all the material areas and wider principles covered in KS3 and KS4, whilst also having the opportunity to answer exam question in Section B on their specific material area.
Food Technology - In year 11 students prepare themselves to complete their Non-Examination Assessment unit. This involves a variety of design, testing, planning, making and evaluating dishes to meet a specific target market’s requirement. This, in turn, covers much of the theory elements taught at KS3 and KS4 and apply this in a practical and realistic way. Students will also have to complete an examination where they will apply their knowledge and understanding to theoretical scenarios.
Key Stage 4 Impact
Throughout the two courses of Design and Technology, students will complete written and practical assessments at the end of every term that will be recorded of the students’ front cover. The teacher will place a highlighted line from the start of Term 1 in Year 10 to Term 4 in Year 11 which is the students target grade. Students will then input their data into the sheet so that they can view the progress that they produced throughout the two year course.
Students also have a health and safety policy to sign, similar to that as Key Stage 3. Teachers may also report training students on hand tools and machinery which will be located in the folder.
