National 4: Practical Cookery

Course Specification

This explains the overall structure of the Course, including its purpose and aims and information on the skills, knowledge and understanding that will be developed.

Unit Specifications

These provide an outline of what each Unit will cover within the following Unit Specifications and detail the Outcomes and Assessment Standards.

Added Value Unit Specification

These define the mandatory requirements for the Added Value Unit, including the Outcomes and Assessment Standards.

They also include the further mandatory information on Course coverage for the National 4 Course and include information on the assessment method to be used and the conditions of assessment.

Added Value Unit Assessment

The Hospitality: Practical Cookery Added Value Unit assessment is a practical activity. It is supported by SQA-devised recipes, so centres should not normally make any changes to the assessment, in which candidates plan, prepare and serve a two-course meal according to given recipes, safely and hygienically.

Centres can choose from a bank of these assessments, designed to suit a wide range of requirements, available from September 2013. Centres can access the assessments through their SQA Co-ordinator.

As with all SQA Unit assessments, Added Value Unit assessments must be internally verified by centres.

Course and Unit Support Notes

These provide advice and guidance for teachers/lecturers on learning, teaching and assessment within the Course and its Units.

Past Papers and Marking Instructions

Unit Assessment Support

These documents contain details of Unit assessment task(s), show approaches to gathering evidence and how the evidence can be judged against the Outcomes and Assessment Standards. Teachers/lecturers can arrange access to these confidential documents through their SQA Co-ordinator.

Developing Assessment Items: Hospitality: Practical Cookery National 4 and National 5 (150 KB) Feb 2017

Verification and Course reports

Understanding Standards

Examples of candidate evidence with commentaries

Examples of candidate evidence and commentaries for unit assessment can be found on the SQA secure site. You can access these through your SQA Coordinator.

Changes to Understanding Standards materials

Please note: Understanding Standards materials are regularly reviewed to ensure they remain up to date.


Additional Resources session 2020-22

Further information can be found on the Understanding Standards Website.