Cambridge National in Child Development (2022): Frequently asked questions

• General FAQs
• R057: Health and well-being for child development
• R058: Create a safe environment and understand the nutritional needs of children from birth to five years
• R059: Understand the development of a child from one to five years

General Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

When can Students be given the live set assignment?

The live assignments will be released 1 June each year on our secure website for teachers, 'Teach Cambridge' for teaching the following September. They can be given to students on or after 1 June.

Can the live assignments for R058 and R059 be changed in any way? 

The assignments cannot be altered in any way.  

Can the assignments be completed in one year and entered in another  eg completed in year 10 but not entered until year 11? 

The assignments are live for a year. They must be entered for a series in which they are live. If the assignment is completed in year 10, it must be entered and submitted in year 10, either in the January or June series.

Students can resubmit on the same assignment in the year that it is live e.g. submit in January of Year 10 and resubmit in June of Year 10.  If re-entering the following year, e.g. January of Year 11 this would be on a new assignment.

I cannot find the dates for submitting student’s marks, only making entries.  Can you tell me the dates please?

There are two series in January and June of each year.  Marks for non-examined assessed work (NEA) are submitted on 10 January for the January series and 15 May for June series.  You can find key dates and timetables here.

Frequently asked questions for R057: Health and well-being for child development

When would past exam papers be available (for mocks)? 

A  practice question paper and mark scheme is available on Teach Cambridge. You can find the paper under Assessment>Exams>Practice materials. 

The first exam will be available to be sat in January of 2024. The January 2024 paper will be available on  Teach Cambridge within a few days of the exam being sat.  The exam paper will be added to Exam Builder at a later date. 

Frequently asked questions for R058: Create a safe environment and understand the nutritional needs of children from birth to five years

For R058, Do students need to reference the research for the different pieces of equipment?

Yes, all research for each piece of equipment should be referenced to show where they have collected information and to help when they are explaining the suitability and evaluating their choice.

Do we need to cover all the factors in the specification?

No, when writing about the factors for suitability, the factors that need to be covered for each piece of equipment are in the assignment. Reasons need to be given as to why they would be selected or rejected in order to evaluate their choice.

What age should the child be for the meal choice in Task 3?

The age of the child will always be given in the assignment. When recommending a meal choice in Task 3, there needs to be clear links made to how it would meet the needs of the child identified in the assignment and nutrients listed in the specification. It is important to always think about the age identified within the Assignment when recommending your meal choice.

What should be included in the plan for the feed and meal in Task 4?

The plan must cover all the points identified in the assignment, which includes equipment, ingredients and quantities, safety and hygiene.

How do students show they have used good safety and hygiene practices when making the feed or meal?

The student should follow their plan when making their feed or meal. This should be evidenced using annotated photos or videos showing the process step by step. The evidence should also show how they have followed safety and hygiene practices.

Frequently asked questions for R059: Understand the development of a child from one to five years

For R059, do I need to observe a child in person?

Wherever possible observation should be with a child in person e.g. a sibling, family friend or child in a care setting. If it is not possible to observe a child in person, the observation could be completed remotely, live or recorded. Alternatively in exceptional circumstances students could watch a publicly available video that you feel is appropriate. Observations should last no longer than twenty minutes. You can find information in the assessment guidance for R059 in the specification.

Do I need to teach all the norms covered in the specification or can I just teach the ones for the age given in the assignment?

You do need to teach all of the developmental norms included in the specification. When the students are addressing the Task, they need to focus on the age identified within the assignment. This enables the students to recognise and understand if the child is ahead or behind the expected developmental norms.

What do students need to cover in their plan for the activity?

The plan needs to cover all areas identified on the marking criteria and Unit Recording Sheet.

Do I need to collect and submit feedback?

Students do need to collect feedback as this is used to inform the evaluation which can be through, for example, the use of a questionnaire or discussion. The feedback should be detailed enough to enable students to access the full range of marks. See the assessment guidance for Task 2a in the specification for more ways of gathering feedback. There is no requirement to submit feedback with the work for R059.

Are students expected to carry out the play activity with the child?

There is no requirement for the activity to be carried out with a child as we are assessing the planning, self-reflection and evaluation.  If the students would like to carry out the activity with a child, they can, but it is not required for the purpose of assessment. The planned activity can be presented to peers within lessons, or an adult that would be able to provide adequate feedback. There is no requirement for participants to role play the part of a child.

What should be included in the evaluation?

The evaluation should include what was successful, and the strengths and weaknesses of the planned play activity. There should also be suggestions for change, or recommendations for improvements along with how feedback and self-reflection have been used.