Past papers - CCEA GCSE Hospitality

Here you can find CCEA past papers for GCSE Hospitality.

Use the links below to download question papers and mark schemes (which contain the answers or indicative content and explain how marks are awarded).

CCEA past papers and mark schemes are the intellectual property of CCEA and are copyright © CCEA. All CCEA material is linked to with their permission.

The Hospitality Industry

Summer 2025 - Past paper | Mark scheme
Summer 2024 - Past paper | Mark scheme
Summer 2023 - Past paper | Mark scheme

Hospitality and the Customer

Summer 2025 - Past paper | Mark scheme
Summer 2024 - Past paper | Mark scheme
Summer 2023 - Past paper | Mark scheme

Food and Beverage Preparation and Service

Unit 3 of the CCEA GCSE Hospitality qualification is a controlled assessment unit in which you must produce a portfolio ofthree tasks and contribute to planning and carrying out an event or function.

Support information relating to health and safety, menu planning and types of service is available on Bitesize.

For further advice on your controlled assessments, please consult your teacher.

You can find more hospitality past papers and mark schemes on the CCEA website.

Papers going back as far as 2018 are available there, in both standard and modified versions.

1. Learn your lists
Learn the CCEA GCSE Hospitality specification, especially where lists are involved. For example, there are five industries involved with the hospitality industry: travel, tourism, health, education and leisure. You could be asked to list four of these, so learning such lists can gain you four ‘easy’ points - nearly half of the long QWC question at the end of both exam papers.

2. Note down and speak out loud
Use index cards (which can be purchased at most supermarkets) to make note of key words and prompts in each topic. Every time you write the information down, then go over it - speaking it out loud. This will help the information stick in your memory.

3. Know your sectors, outlets and customers
Learn the definitions for the commercial sector and catering services sector and be able to list outlets which are in each sector and the different types of customers involved in each outlet. For example, one outlet in the catering services sector would be a school canteen (not just the word school) and customers involved would be pupils or members of the school staff. This question comes up regularly, in various forms, on the Unit 1 exam.

4. Practice with past papers
Past papers are a must! Go over the papers without the mark scheme and this will help you to identify what topics you are struggling with. Then, by using the mark scheme, this will help you to understand what is required to get top marks. Anywhere you see the words analyse or evaluate on the CCEA GCSE Hospitality specification can point you in the direction of the longer questions likely to be asked.

5. If in doubt, teach!
Try ‘teaching’ a friend or family member a topic you find difficult. It very quickly shows you what you cannot understand and where you need more information. This is very useful in the health and safety at work section. Let them ask questions and try to answer them.

1. Read the question - twice!
Always read the question twice. The first time, use your finger to make sure you have read every single word and not just skimmed over the question. The second time, underline the important points. Questions can be easily misinterpreted by seeing just one key word and then jumping - make sure you don't miss the actual question that is being asked.

2. Pay attention to the marks
Look at the marks allocated for each question. One mark usually only needs one word or a very short phrase, whereas two marks will need an explanation or further information.

3. Prompt yourself to fully explain
Where you see the word explain, write down your answer and then read it to yourself. Can you add any more information? Try saying into yourself: “This means that…”, as a way to try and prompt yourself to add more information, ensuring you have fully explained your answer and have a chance to access all of the marks on offer for these questions.

For example, if you are asked to explain an advantage of a company having a complaints policy, you might respond by writing: “An advantage of having a complaints policy is that all staff will know what to do if a customer complains”. While this answer makes a point, it does not offer a full explanation. Prompting yourself with “this means that…” could inspire you to add something like: “so that all customers will be treated the same way”. This fuller explanation gives you a greater chance of full marks.

4. Avoid common pitfalls
In the Unit 1 exam, pay close attention to questions on training. These can relate to either on-the-job or off-the-job training and could be asking about the advantages or disadvantages of such training, to either employers or employees - make sure you know what is being asked.

For customer service questions in the Unit 2 exam, always double check to see if the question refers to the employer, the employee or the guest.

5. Explain each point you make
Do not get worried by the long QWC question at the end of each exam paper. This just requires a series of well explained points written in paragraphs. Make one point and then explain it. When you read it back again, make sure that you have only made one point at a time. Then repeat this approach with each point. If you make several points and only explain one of them, you'll only be able to access full marks for the one point you have explained.

If practising with past papers has highlighted a particular area you need to improve, then further help is at hand.

You can go straight to the most relevant Bitesize study guide for CCEA GCSE Hospitality and refresh your knowledge.

All topics in Unit 1: The Hospitality Industry, Unit 2: Hospitality and the Customer and Unit 3: Food and Beverage Preparation and Service.

Follow the links to the topic of your choice, where you'll find easy-to-understand revision materials, including videos, diagrams and quick quizzes.

Unit 1: The Hospitality Industry

What is hospitality? | Hospitality outlets | The star rating system | Careers in hospitality | Nutrition and food | Special diets

Unit 2: Hospitality and the Customer

Interpersonal skills and professional qualities | Customers in hospitality | Products and services | Customer care | Dealing with complaints | Communication | Marketing

Unit 3: Food and Beverage Preparation and Service

Health and safety | Menu planning and types of service

Explore more hospitality resources with the full range of help from Bitesize.