1. Task 1: Food investigation
Non-Exam Assessment
Task 1:
Food
investigation

2. Introduction
The Food Investigation task tests your knowledge and understanding of the science of the preparation and cooking of food.
What you need to investigate will depend on the title, but it may include investigating:
ingredient choices
preparation techniques
cooking methods
cooking conditions.

3. Overview
You will write a report between 1,000 and 2,000 words (about 6–8 sides of A4 paper).
The report can be typed on the computer or handwritten.
Your report should contain photographs of the experiments and investigations you carry out.
You can include other communication methods such as charts, graphs and diagrams.

4. Assessment of the Food Investigation
You will be marked in three sections:
Section
Criteria
Maximum marks A
Research 6 B
Investigation 15 C
Analysis and evaluation 9
Total 30

5. A. Research Spend 2 hours on your research.
You should use secondary research. This may include:
Trusted websites – for example, NHS, British Nutrition Foundation
Books
Leaflets, labels and packaging
Magazines and newspaper articles
Multimedia – for example, animations, YouTube clips
All sources of secondary research must be referenced in a bibliography.

6. A. Research Your research must be focused on and relevant to the task.
Once you have completed your research, you will need to draw conclusions.
Example of research for the investigation ‘Investigate what type of flour is best for bread-making’

7. A. Research
You will need to decide what the aim of your investigation will be.
For example:
‘My aim is to find out how the gluten content of flour affects bread quality.’
You will then need to decide on a hypothesis, or predict an outcome.
‘My hypothesis is that the most successful flour for bread-making is strong plain flour because it has a high protein (gluten) content.’

8. B. Investigating
You then need to carry out practical investigations linked to your hypothesis.
Each investigation should have a clear aim.
Record the results of each investigation, including photographs
For example:
Investigation 1: find out how much gluten is in different flours
Investigate using three different types of flour to make gluten balls.
Bake these in a very hot oven.
Compare the baked gluten balls for size and texture and photograph the results.

9. B. Investigating
Investigation 2: which flour makes bread with a good rise, flavour and texture? Make different types of bread, each using different types of flour
Investigation 3: make the best bread using the most suitable flour(s)

10. B. Investigating
You should record the results of your investigations using charts, graphs, tables and photographs, and explain your findings. You could:
set up taste testing
carry out sensory analysis
use star profiles to record your results
You could then discuss the results or your sensory analysis.
Example of sensory analysis results

11. C. Analysis and evaluation
When you have completed your investigation and explained your findings, you need to analyse and evaluate your results. You should:
analyse and interpret the results of the investigative work
evaluate the hypothesis/prediction with justification
explain how the ingredients you use worked and why.

12. C. Analysis and evaluation