The following is a guide from the exam
board as to the level of skill found in practical dishes. In order to achieve
high marks
Candidates need to be aiming for the
higher-level skills when they carry out practical assessments.
Higher Level Skills:
• Pastry making – short
crust, pate sucre, choux.
• Roux based sauces
• Meringues and
pavlovas
• Meat and fish cookery
(using high risk foods)
• Decorated cakes and
gateaux
• Rich yeast doughs
• Complex
accompaniments and garnishes
Medium Skills:
• Puff pastry items
that need shaping but use ready-made pastry.
• Vegetable and fruit
dishes requiring even sizes
e.g. fruit salad, stir fry which show
competent knife skills
• Cheesecakes and
similar desserts.
• Simple sauces e.g.
red wine sauce.
• Simple cakes, biscuits,
cookies and scones.
• Basic bread doughs.
Basic Skills:
• Crumbles.
• Sandwiches.
• Pizza with ready-made
base.
• Jacket potatoes.
• Simple salads.
• Assembling products
e.g. using prepared sauces, bought meringue nests, etc.
G to E candidates are
likely to choose dishes that show basic skills only
Examples: Apple
crumble, baked apples, jacket potato with cheese, coleslaw or beans, French
bread
pizzas, Spaghetti
Bolognese or other pasta dishes using a ready made sauce, sweet and sour dishes
using a bought sauce,
fruit platters, simple starters like prawn cocktail, etc.
D to C candidates are
likely to choose dishes from each of the skill levels but will demonstrate
mainly medium level
skills
Examples: Sausage
rolls and other items using ready-made puff pastry, cheesecake, all in one
sauces, fresh fruit
salads, stir fries, fairy cakes with simple decoration, scones, melted method
cakes,
biscuits and cookies
e.g. shortbread, bread rolls, simple meat or fish cookery e.g. cooking fish,
chops,
steak or chicken
pieces (without stuffing or sauces), chicken in simple sauces e.g. chicken
chasseur,
cold curried chicken
salad, kebabs, simple rice and pasta dishes with home made sauces.
B to A* candidates
are likely to choose dishes from the high and medium level skills range
Examples: Quiche
Lorraine (or similar) using short crust pastry, Bakewell tart (or similar)
using pate
sucre, profiteroles
or éclairs using choux pastry, decorated gateau or roulade (whisking method
cake),
Swiss buns or Chelsea
buns made with rich yeast dough, lasagne with béchamel sauce, fish pie,
chicken and fish
dishes with more elaborate sauces or stuffing, decorated cakes and pastry items
that
require piping and
decoration skills as well as shaping.
Teachers
should remember when marking the practical session that the marks for
production (making) should reflect the skills shown in the planning:
• If only basic-level
skills are shown then a maximum of 8/20 (task 1) or 16/40 (task 2) should
be awarded.
• If mostly
medium-level skills are shown a maximum mark of 15/20 (task 1) or 26/40 (task
2)
should be awarded.
• If mostly high-level skills
are shown a maximum mark of 20/20 or 40/40 should be awarded.
