GCSE Design and Technology: Food Technology Unit 45452 2014-15
Food Technology Controlled Assessment:
Guidance Notes to support the delivery of Controlled Assessment
This is an essential document explaining the requirements and content for GCSE Food Technology Controlled Assessment. The information should be read in conjunction with the Principal Moderator Report 2014.
General Guidance
§ Candidates select a Design and Make Activity from the 12 tasks issued by AQA for submission in 2015
§ The design folder should consist of approximately 20 sides of A3 sheet or A4 equivalent.
§ Candidates should spend approximately 45 hours on Controlled Assessment.
§ Candidates must include a photograph of the final product. It is good practice to include photographic evidence throughout the design folder to support the assessment of the making outcomes. All photographic evidence must be authenticated with the candidates name and/or number.
§ Controlled Assessment should be an integral part of the teaching of the specification. Candidates must apply the knowledge and understanding from Unit 1 to Controlled Assessment.
§ Centres may submit their Controlled Assessment on either CD Rom or memory stick following AQA guidance.
Assessment
§ Design folders must be assessed using the Assessment Criteria and marks awarded for each of the five criteria.
§ The centre must complete a Candidate Record Form for each candidate to support the assessment. It is particularly important to include a full list of making identifying design ideas, development and the final product. For Assessment Criterion 3: Making, qualitative comments are required to justify the marks awarded.
§ When assessing the design folder it must be viewed holistically and credit awarded wherever a particular criterion has been met. The assessment criteria do not reflect a linear designing and making process.
§ Using holistic assessment, a weak performance in one aspect of a candidate’s work may be balanced by a stronger performance in another. It is essential that the principle of best fit should be applied when using the assessment criteria mark bands.
§ It should be recognised that some marks attributed to Making activities can be assessed within other criteria, for example, candidates will be involved in many development/investigative and experimental activities which can be credited in: Development of design proposals, Making, Testing and Evaluation.
§ If awarding full marks for a particular criterion it is essential that all elements of the assessment criterion have been comprehensively addressed and the work is of the highest standard. For full marks candidates should be producing outstanding work and fulfilling all the assessment criteria marks bands to the highest level.
Breakdown of Marks
Assessment Criteria / Maximum Mark Allocation1. Investigating the design opportunity / 8
2. Development of the design proposals / 32
3. Making / 32
4. Testing and Evaluation / 12
5. Communication / 6
Total / 90
Teacher guidance information: What is expected from candidates?
Assessment Criterion 1: Investigating the design opportunity (Total marks: 8)
Analysis of the design context and task.
§ Focus on key words and the research required to answer the design task.
§ More able candidates should elaborate and discuss the issues related to the task. Evidence suggests this could be done with mind mapping but there may be other equally effective approaches that centres might choose to use.
Research
§ Concise, relevant and focused research should be produced. Evidence suggests that a maximum of 2 sides of A3 or equivalent at the beginning may suffice with other research at relevant points of the design process.
§ Setting clear aims for each piece of research allows candidates to have focus.
§ The majority of the research should focus on existing products.
§ If a questionnaire is used the focus should be on the analysis of the results. A copy of the questionnaire should not be included.
§ It is excellent practice to see candidates carrying out additional research throughout the project. This may relate to finishing techniques, working properties of ingredients etc.
§ A product analysis/appraisal may be best undertaken after the generation of ideas or during development, as it can then help to infom development of the chosen product.This can then inspire candidates when planning their development. A product appraisal carried out as part of the initial research seldom provides useful information to move the design process forward.
§ Practical research activities can be assessed as part of criteria 1 and 3.
§ The use of prior knowledge should be encouraged.
Research analysis and design criteria
§ The analysis of the research findings must be explicit in the folder. The research findings should be referred to throughout the project to be awarded the top mark band.
§ Clear design criteria must be produced resulting from the research which will allow candidates to generate a range of design ideas. It is good practice to justify the design criteria showing a direct link to the research findings.
Target market/Consumer profile
§ A target group must be identified and referred to throughout the project.
§ To achieve 7-8 mark band a consumer/user profile is required. This means considering the needs of a consumer/user within the target group and then using this throughout evaluation.
Assessment Criterion 2: Development of design proposals (including modelling) Total mark: 32
Designing
§ A range of initial design ideas that reflect the design criteria should be generated. (Evidence suggests that between 8-10 ideas should allow candidates to show their design capability). The initial ideas should not be a list of recipes but should be annotated sketches or images of products.
§ There is no prescriptive method to record design ideas. Methods could include: sketches, photographs, drawings, images and pictures. Annotation could include: sensory descriptions, reference to specific ingredients, finishing techniques, implications of a wide range of issues including social, moral and environmental issues and suggestions about how the product offers the opportunity for development. It would be good practice to compare the ideas against the specification at this point.
§ Candidates will be rewarded for showing creativity, imagination and innovation when developing design ideas. Creativity will also be evident when students experiment with ingredients, flavouring etc.
§ To reach the top mark bands candidates must be demonstrating originality and flair.
§ An explanation/table could be produced to show which initial ideas will be made into design ideas showing comparison against the design criteria.
§ Candidates are recommended to make a range of different design ideas that demonstrate a repertoire of making skills. Candidates aiming for the high mark bands must include a range of products with high level making skills.
§ When recording each design idea/trial candidates could include feedback from a tasting panel, sensory testing methods, comments from the consumer/user, reference to sustainability/environmental implications and working properties of ingredients. An annotated photograph would also be useful.
Social, Moral, Environmental and Sustainability
§ Throughout designing and development candidates should aim to explain social, moral, environmental and sustainability issues related to the ingredients/processes used. This should not be a bolt on at the end of the project but considered throughout the design process.
Product Specification
§ One product should be taken to the development stage with full justification.
§ A detailed product specification should be produced to inform development work. This must be fully justified to achieve the top mark band.
Development
§ The choice of product to develop has a big influence on the skill levels that can be shown during development. Centres should make their candidates aware of the limitations of choosing a product that has little to offer both in terms of potential for development and opportunities for showing high challenge and demand.
§ It is good practice to do some thinking on paper and thorough planning of development e.g. producing a mind map of potential developments.
§ Detailed and complex development work needs to take place to be awarded the highest mark band. This should include investigation and experimenting with ingredients and processes.
§ Innovative and creative development work is necessary to be awarded high marks.
§ Appropriate quantities should be used during development activities.
§ The recommendation is that candidates aiming for the top mark bands should be producing a series of at least 4 complex developments.
§ It is essential that centres and candidates understand what is meant by development. Development should be taught as part of the specification before commencing Controlled Assessment.
§ Development could involve many different approaches such as using and testing ingredients, processes and methods, improving the nutritional profile, investigating sensory characteristics, experimenting with size and shapes, reheating/storage tests, using different equipment etc. Development should not just be about modifying the flavour/taste/texture of the product. Refer to the example at the end of this document. Candidates achieving high marks for this section must be producing a range of development activities.
§ It is acceptable to produce some small group based development work but it is essential that candidates record their input and evaluate the results independently. Class development work is not permitted e.g. all the class doing the same development activity.
§ Candidates should be selecting one of their ideas to develop and therefore there will be a wide range of products being developed within a class.
§ Candidates should clearly explain why each development is carried out and evaluate the results. The development results must be used to inform the final product.
§ Development pages need to include: aims, ingredients, photographic evidence, changes made, results, sensory testing and conclusions with reference to the target market/consumer. Working properties of ingredients should also be considered by higher ability candidates.
Working properties of ingredients
§ Candidates should be showing an awareness of the working properties of ingredients when designing, developing and making.
§ To achieve higher marks, candidates should be using technical language and using key subject terminology. Candidates should not just be explaining the sensory functions.
§ The use of prior knowledge related to ingredients, through the teaching of the specification, should be evident throughout the controlled assessment folder.
§ If nutritional considerations are included as part of the design/product specification it is expected that nutritional analysis should be carried out.
Assessment Criterion 3: Making (32 marks)
Making
§ To authenticate candidate’s making photographic evidence should be clearly marked with the candidates name and/or number.
§ All making including design ideas, development work and the final product should be rewarded in this section. This mark does not just relate to the final product.
§ All candidates should be making a range of products.
§ To achieve high Making marks candidates need to show a comprehensive range of making skills. Evidence suggests that making between 6-8 different / quality ideas/trials might help to show a higher level of making.
§ Top mark band candidates should have made a wide range of demanding high quality products. When assessing work it is important to consider the quality and complexity of the making not just the number of practical products made. If fewer making/ development activities are carried out this might restrict the opportunities to gain marks.
§ A range of products, using different skills, needs to be produced to achieve the top mark band. It is essential that repetitive skills are not over rewarded.
§ A final product, incorporating the development work must be made and recorded in the design folder.
§ A demanding final product is required to achieve the top mark band. The candidate must also be organised and be independent.
§ A heavy reliance on standards components can prevent candidates from demonstrating their making skills.
§ The quality of finish when making cannot be over emphasised.
§ Candidates should be using a range of equipment throughout the making process.
§ Food Technology students might use CAM
§ Photographic evidence of the final product must be provided in the design folder to show their making. It is recommended to include photographic evidence throughout the design process.
§ A plan showing how the final product will be made in the test kitchen should include: process/method, quality checks, food safety and hygiene considerations.
§ The production plans produced should include technical quality control points in order to achieve higher marks.
§ A net of the packaging is not a requirement for any of the tasks.
Assessment Criterion 4: Testing and evaluation (12 marks)
§ A range of testing methods and evaluation techniques should be carried out throughout the product development process.
§ Candidates should include aims and conclusions in the relevant and key areas to successfully tell the product development story/design process. All decisions must be clearly evidenced throughout the project.
§ Detailed testing and evaluation should be evident throughout: evaluation/analysis of research, evaluation of design ideas/sketches, justifying which ideas are to be made in the test kitchen and evaluation of development work.
§ A range of testing methods must be evident to achieve the top mark bands, for example, ranking/rating/reheating and evaluation against the design criteria etc.
§ Evaluation of products should be based on sensory analysis and the design criteria.
§ Sensory profiles should not include generic terms e.g. taste, texture, appearance. Specific descriptors such as crisp texture, smooth sauce and golden appearance should be included.
§ Candidates must refer to the product specification throughout development.
§ The final design proposal should include: A photograph of the final product, a full list of ingredients for all component parts, a review of the development process including full justification and evaluation, comprehensive comparison against the product specification, final testing results taking account of client/user or third party opinion and improvements or modifications required to the product.
§ An explanation with justification of how the final outcome may need to be modified for commercial production is required to achieve higher marks. This must relate to design task/context.
§ It should be specific to the product not generic information and copied material from text books.