Cambridge IGCSE Food and Nutrition : Overview, Objective & Subjects

Cambridge IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) is the most widely recognized and accepted international qualification for students in the age group 14-16 years. Students taking up this course are allowed to choose from 70 subjects including 30 languages to complete their qualification and can opt for any combination depending on the school they are studying.

One of the subjects IGCSE – Food and Nutrition gives the students a chance to develop their knowledge and skills in a domain that relates to their daily lives and a complete understanding of where food and nutrition fit well in the modern, changing, multicultural society.

The aims of this Food and Nutrition course enable the students to develop

• An understanding of nutrition and health problems associated with the diet
• An awareness of how socio-economic factors affect diet
• An understanding how the dietary needs and eating patterns vary within the people in the society
• An understanding of how the position of the consumer goes in the developed and developing countries
• An understanding and skills for food preparation
• An awareness of the compulsory safety and hygienic requirements
• An understanding of the food requirements so as to manage the family resources effectively
• An awareness to make informed judgements and choices about the use of food available to the family in daily life
• An aesthetic outlook to dietary patterns

Content Overview

The syllabus covers 14 topics as follows

• Nutritional terms
• Nutritive value of food
• Digestion and absorption
• Meal planning and dietary guidelines
• Composition and value of the main foods in the diet
• Cooking of food
• Convenience foods
• Basic proportions and methods of making
• Raising agents
• Food spoilage and hygiene
• Food preservation
• Kitchen planning
• Kitchen equipment
• Kitchen safety and first aid

Students must apply the gained knowledge in the classroom and use the practical skills considering the parameters such as personal/family needs and lifestyles, available money, and food resources, and the way diet relates to health.

Assessment Overview

Grades are allotted in the range A* – G based on the student’s performance, A* being the highest and G the lowest. All the students take two compulsory components for their assessment.

Assessment Objectives (AO)

The assessment objectives are

AO1 – Knowledge and Understanding

• Use the scientific and technological vocabulary and terminology
• Show how the social, economic, and environmental factors affect the diet and nutritional requirements
• Appreciate and use the scientific definitions, principles, and theories
• Choose the relevant tools and equipment and use them correctly
• Enhance their safety and hygienic requirements knowledge
• Show an understanding of the basic quantities and methods of measurements

AO2 – Handling Information and Solving Problems

• Read and interpret information
• Translate information from one form to another
• Follow and give instructions
• Use the numerical data
• Organize and manage time, money, energy/effort, resources, equipment, and tools related to a stated criteria
• Estimate and measure accurately – area, capacity, mass, quantity, shape, size, temperature, time, and weight

AO3 – Experimental Skills and Investigations

• Identify the problems
• Follow and give instructions
• Test and compare materials, methods, and equipment in food preparation
• Find and interpret evidence to make judgments and choices
• Give supporting statements for the judgements and choices
• Identify priorities
• Observe and record observations
• Evaluate the effectiveness of course of action

Subject Content

The syllabus offered enables the schools to design a flexible course that will interest, challenge and engage the students. The content are as follows

1. Terms used in nutrition and nutrition related problems –Diet, balanced diet, metabolism, malnutrition, undernutrition, overnutrition, deficiency disease
2. Nutritive value of foods –Sources and functions of proteins, vitamins, mineral elements, and water
   Sources and uses of food energy
   Sources and uses of non-starch polysaccharide (NSP)/dietary fiber
3. Digestion at each stage of the digestive system –mouth, stomach, duodenum, ileum
   Enzymes as catalysts
   Role of bile
   Absorption of nutrients
4. Factors affecting the food requirements:
   Planning and serving of family needs
   Food plan for different ages, occupations, cultures, and religions
   Special needs for pregnant ladies, food allergic people, people with medical conditions, convalescents, and vegetarians including vegan and lacto-vegetarians
   Meals for special occasions, festivals, snacks, beverages
   Use of spice, herbs, and garnishes
   Presentation of the prepared food
   Terminologies used in dietary intakes
   Use of nutritional tools
5. Sources of proteins, cereals, fruits, and vegetables including pulses and nuts, fats and oils
6. Cooking of food
   Transfer of heat by conduction, convection, and radiation
   Methods of cooking – baking, boiling, braising, cooking in microwave oven, frying, grilling, poaching, pressure cooking, roasting, simmering, steaming, stewing and use of a slow cooker
   Reasons for cooking food
   Sensory properties of food
   Effect of dry and moist heat on proteins, fats and oils, sugars and starches, and vitamins
   Preparation of food to preserve the nutritive value of food
   Economical use of food, equipment, food, and labor
7. Partially prepared food by a food manufacturer – dehydrated, tinned, frozen, ready- to eat, cook-chill
   Intelligent use of foods
   Food additives
   Packaging
   Labelling
8. Basic proportions and methods of making – biscuits, pastries, batters, sauces, sweet and savoury yeast products
9. Raising agents – air, carbon-dioxide, and water vapour: ways of introducing these gases into a mixture
10. Food spoilage and hygiene :
    Action of enzymes, bacteria, yeast, and mould
    Personal, food and kitchen hygiene
    Food storage
11. Food preservation:
    Reasons for preserving food
    Methods of preservation
    Key points involved in milk pasteurization and sterilization and in the production of UHT milk, evaporated and condensed milk, and dried milk
    Use of enzymes and bacteria in the manufacture of cheese and yogurt
12. Kitchen planning:
    Organization of the cooking area and equipment for efficient work
    Choice, use and care of – work surfaces, flooring, walls and coverings, lighting, and ventilation
13. Kitchen equipment
    Choice and care of:
    Cookers
    Ovens
    Microwave ovens
    Slow electric cook pots
    Refrigerators and freezers
    Knives, pans
    Food processors, kettles
    Advantages and disadvantages of micro-ovens
14. Kitchen safety and first aid:
    Awareness of potential danger areas in the kitchen
    Safety precautions
    First aid for burns and scalds, cuts, electric shock, fainting, shock

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