AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (8585) Past Papers, Mark Schemes & Examiner Tips
Prepare for AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (8585) with the latest past papers, practice questions and official mark schemes, organised by exam year. Revise food, nutrition and health, food science, food safety, food choice and food provenance, understand how marks are awarded and improve your technique for the 2027 written exam. You can also jump to our examiner tips or read the frequently asked questions for practical revision guidance.
2025 AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (8585) Past Papers & Mark Schemes
2025 AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition | Downloads | |
AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition Paper 1 (8585/W) – June 2025 |
2024 AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (8585) Past Papers & Mark Schemes
2024 AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition | Downloads | |
AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition Paper 1 (8585/W) – June 2024 |
2023 AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (8585) Past Papers & Mark Schemes
2023 AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition | Downloads | |
AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition Paper 1 (8585/W) – June 2023 |
2022 AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (8585) Past Papers & Mark Schemes
2022 AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition | Downloads | |
AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition Paper 1 (8585/W) – June 2022 |
2021 AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (8585) Past Papers & Mark Schemes
2021 AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition | Downloads | |
AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition Paper 1 (8585/W) – November 2021 |
2020 AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (8585) Past Papers & Mark Schemes
2020 AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition | Downloads | |
AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition Paper 1 (8585/W) – November 2020 |
Sample Assessment Materials
AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition | Downloads | |
AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition Paper 1 (8585) – Sample Set 1 |
Practice Questions
AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition Practice | Downloads |
Exampro Design and Technology and Food Preparation question bank |
Six Examiner Tips for AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition
1. Explain Why Food Changes, Not Just What Happens
Students often describe an observation—such as a sauce thickening or bread turning brown—without explaining the food-science process responsible for it.
Use accurate terms such as gelatinisation, dextrinisation, caramelisation, denaturation, coagulation, emulsificationand gluten formation.
Explain the mechanism as well as the result. For example, during gelatinisation, starch granules absorb liquid when heated, swell and eventually rupture, causing the mixture to thicken. Include relevant temperatures where required and avoid confusing gelatinisation with gelatine or gluten formation.
2. Demonstrate a Wide Range of Technical Skills
Avoid repeating the same dishes or skills throughout NEA 2. Preparing three similar pasta, pastry or bread dishes will restrict the range of skills that can be demonstrated.
Consider approximately six to eight possible dishes during the initial task analysis. Select a final menu containing varied, suitably challenging techniques that can be completed successfully. Dishes used to demonstrate technical skills in Section B should not simply be repeated unchanged during the final three-hour practical assessment.
3. Balance Analysis With Evaluation
In extended examination answers and NEA evaluations, students often describe information without judging its significance. Listing nutrients, costs or sensory results is not enough for the highest marks.
Use evidence to reach a conclusion. For example, identify the nutrient content, explain its effect on the target group and then evaluate whether the dish successfully meets that group’s needs. In NEA 2, focus on conclusions drawn from nutritional analysis, costing, sensory testing and practical results rather than writing a diary of what happened during the cooking session.
4. Connect NEA 1 Research, Hypotheses and Investigations
NEA 1 research must directly inform the practical investigation. Avoid copying large amounts of general information about a food’s history or manufacture if it does not help explain the ingredient’s functional or chemical properties.
Use focused research to develop a clear, testable hypothesis. Plan two or three meaningful investigations that explore relevant variables, record results systematically and use the findings when analysing the outcome. Each investigation should have a distinct purpose rather than presenting minor variations of one experiment as several separate investigations.
5. Include Specific Food-Safety Controls
Statements such as “be careful”, “wear an apron” or “do not cut yourself” are too vague. Food-safety points should identify the hazard, the control measure and why it is necessary.
Use precise information in practical plans and written answers, including:
Cook high-risk foods to a core temperature of at least 75°C
Store chilled foods between 0°C and below 5°C
Keep high-risk food out of the 5°C–63°C danger zone
Prevent cross-contamination by separating raw and ready-to-eat foods
Use appropriate colour-coded chopping boards, such as red for raw meat
Wash hands and clean equipment after handling raw ingredients
Integrate these controls into the relevant stages of the time plan rather than listing them separately without context.
6. Give Specific, Distinct Answers in the Written Exam
Avoid single-word or informal answers such as “meat”, “germs”, “add herbs” or “feeling ill”. These responses are too general to demonstrate secure knowledge.
Name the exact food, microorganism, nutrient, process or symptom required. For example, write Salmonella bacteria, iron-deficiency anaemia, vomiting and diarrhoea, or name a suitable herb such as basil. If the question states “Do not repeat your answers”, make sure every response presents a genuinely different point rather than rewording the same idea.
AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition 2027 FAQs
1. What is the specification code for AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition?
The specification code is AQA 8585. The course covers food preparation skills alongside five main areas:
Food, nutrition and health
Food science
Food safety
Food choice
Food provenance
Students must understand the theory behind food and demonstrate practical cooking and investigation skills. View the official AQA specification.
2. When is the AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition exam in 2027?
The written examination, 8585/W, is scheduled for the afternoon of Monday 24 May 2027. It lasts 1 hour 45 minutes.
Students should confirm their arrival time with their school because examination centres may set their own reporting arrangements. Check the official AQA key dates.
3. How is AQA GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition assessed?
The qualification is divided equally between:
Written examination: 100 marks and 50% of the GCSE.
Non-exam assessment: 100 marks and 50% of the GCSE.
The NEA consists of a 30-mark food investigation and a 70-mark food preparation assessment.
4. What is the structure of the written exam?
The written paper contains:
20 marks of multiple-choice questions
Five larger questions containing several sub-questions, worth 80 marks in total
Questions can test knowledge, application, calculations, practical understanding and evaluation. Students may need to apply information from the question to unfamiliar foods, diets, ingredients or cooking situations.
5. What is NEA Task 1: Food Investigation?
Task 1 is worth 30 marks and investigates the working characteristics and functional or chemical properties of ingredients.
Students carry out practical investigations and produce a written or electronic report containing research, a hypothesis or prediction, results, analysis, conclusions and photographic evidence. The report should be approximately 1,500–2,000 words, and AQA recommends no more than 10 assessment hours.
6. What is NEA Task 2: Food Preparation Assessment?
Task 2 is worth 70 marks. Students research and plan a menu before preparing, cooking and presenting three dishes that respond to an AQA task.
The portfolio should explain menu choices, nutritional suitability, practical skills, planning, food safety, sensory testing and evaluation. AQA recommends that the portfolio does not exceed 20 A4 pages, or the A3 equivalent.
7. When are the 2027 NEA tasks released?
For the 2026–27 academic year:
Task 1: Food Investigation is released on 1 September 2026.
Task 2: Food Preparation Assessment is released on 1 November 2026.
AQA provides three possible tasks for each assessment, from which one is selected. The tasks are released securely to schools through e-AQA rather than directly to students.
8. How does the three-hour practical assessment work?
As part of Task 2, students must prepare, cook and present a final menu of three dishes within one continuous session of no more than three hours.
The three-hour session should be completed only once. Students must therefore practise their dishes, prepare a detailed time plan and identify points where tasks can overlap. The menu should demonstrate a range of complex skills rather than three very similar or low-skill dishes.
9. When is the 2027 NEA submission deadline?
AQA’s submission deadline for the June 2027 NEA component, 8585/C, is 7 May 2027. However, schools may set an earlier internal deadline to allow time for marking, administration and moderation.
Students should follow the deadline given by their teacher rather than assuming they can continue working until AQA’s final submission date.
