GCSE Design and Technology redevelopment update

The Department for Education announced in 2014 that GCSE Design and Technology will be redeveloped to create one broad based specification. Design and Technology - Food Technology will be removed from the Design and Technology suite to create a new qualification called GCSE Cooking and Nutrition.

Timelines

Since this announcement there have been some changes in the timelines:

• GCSE Design and Technology will be redeveloped for first teaching from September 2017. This means that our current GCSE specifications in Resistant Materials, Graphic Products, Textiles Technology and Electronic Products will have a final assessment window of June 2018, and the new Design and Technology specification will be released for first teaching from September 2017, for first assessment in 2019.
  

• The timeline for GCSE Cooking and Nutrition is one year ahead of Design and Technology. We are still awaiting confirmation of the final assessment window for GCSE Design and Technology - Food Technology, and will communicate this shortly. Centres that want to continue teaching a food-based qualification will need to move to a new GCSE Cooking and Nutrition specification for first teaching from September 2016.

GCSE Cooking and Nutrition

The content of our current Design and Technology - Food Technology specification is very different to that required in the new GCSE in Cooking and Nutrition, which aims to equip students with the knowledge, understanding and skills required to cook and apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating. After careful consideration we have decided not to create or run a GCSE Cooking and Nutrition qualification. We will however continue to offer our broad range of vocational food-based qualifications.

The Department for Education has confirmed that the title of GCSE Cooking and Nutrition will be changed to GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition and has published finalised content.