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Enzymes and digestion

Enzymes and digestion for A Level Food Preparation AQA: what it means, how to set the working out, and the questions it is asked in.
  • A Level
  • AQA
  • Food Preparation
  • Spec P13 · P18 · P17
  • 6 min read
  • 6 revision boxes

Introduction

2 boxes
2 min read

What is enzymes and digestion?

Listen to this box

Transcript

A short spoken summary of enzymes and digestion and where it is used.

A spoken walk-through of enzymes and digestion before you read the notes.
This idea appears again in the higher-mark questions, so it is worth over-learning.
6 rows

The enzymes and digestion reference table

The examiner marks the working, so a correct answer with no method still drops marks.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing enzymes and digestion laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.
Term
Meaning
Example
Common slip
Marks
Row 1 column 1
Row 1 column 2
34×25\frac{3}{4} \times \frac{2}{5}
Row 1 column 4
Row 1 column 5
Row 2 column 1
Row 2 column 2
34×25\frac{3}{4} \times \frac{2}{5}
Row 2 column 4
Row 2 column 5
Row 3 column 1
Row 3 column 2
×10\times 10 moves every digit one column left
Row 3 column 4
Row 3 column 5

Learning

2 boxes
5 steps

How to work with enzymes and digestion

Practise the routine version until it is automatic, then move to the multi-step questions.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing enzymes and digestion laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.
  1. Read the question and write down what is being asked for.
  2. Set out the working for enzymes and digestion in the order the method gives.
  3. Substitute the values and simplify.
Start from the definition and substitute the numbers the question gives you.
Simplify one line at a time: 49=7\sqrt{49} = 7.
Answer: ≈160\approx 160
2 rules

Key facts: Enzymes and digestion

Sketch the shape even when the question does not ask for one — it makes the next step obvious.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing enzymes and digestion laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.

  • Rule 1

    How enzymes and digestion behaves in the 1st of the cases the specification names.
    x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0

  • Rule 2

    How enzymes and digestion behaves in the 2nd of the cases the specification names.
    49=7\sqrt{49} = 7

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Examples

2 boxes
4 marks · worked

Worked example: enzymes and digestion

The examiner marks the working, so a correct answer with no method still drops marks.
2 marks · worked

Practice question 6: 34×25\frac{3}{4} \times \frac{2}{5}

The specification wording is precise here, and the mark scheme follows that wording exactly.
Worth knowing: ≈160\approx 160.

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Common questions

How many marks is enzymes and digestion usually worth?
Between one and four, depending on how many steps the question asks for.
Is this on the A Level Food Preparation AQA paper?
Yes — it sits in the Research methods strand.