100+ Free CCEA GCSE Child Development Practice Questions

Prepare for the CCEA GCSE Home Economics: Child Development (Northern Ireland, 2017) exam with instant access — no signup required.

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: CCEA GCSE Child Development Exam

A* to G

CCEA GCSE Home Economics: Child Development is graded A* to G

CCEA GCSE grading pattern

3 units

Unit 1 (30%), Unit 2 (30%) and Unit 3 Investigation Task (40%)

CCEA GCSE Home Economics: Child Development (2017) specification

1h 15m

Each of the two external written exams lasts 1 hour 15 minutes

CCEA / school curriculum summaries of the 2017 specification

0–5 years

Content focuses on babies and children from conception to five years

CCEA subject overview

QAN 603/0737/7

Qualification number for the 2017 specification (subject code 3330)

CCEA subject page

120 GLH

About 120 guided learning hours across the two-year course

CCEA subject page

100 marks

Unit 3 Investigation Task is marked out of 100 (40% of the subject)

School curriculum summaries of the CCEA controlled assessment

100 MCQs

Free original practice questions in this OpenExamPrep bank

OpenExamPrep

CCEA GCSE Home Economics: Child Development (2017) is Northern Ireland's unitised GCSE on children 0–5. Unit 1 (30%) and Unit 2 (30%) are 1h15 external written exams; Unit 3 (40%) is a CCEA-set Investigation Task controlled assessment. Grades run A* to G. This free bank offers 100 original MCQs for knowledge practice across parenthood, pregnancy, newborn care, PIES development, health, safeguarding and investigation skills.

Sample CCEA GCSE Child Development Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your CCEA GCSE Child Development exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which family structure consists of two parents and their dependent children living together, usually apart from other relatives?

A.Extended family

B.Nuclear family

C.Reconstituted family

D.Communal family

Explanation: A nuclear family is two parents (or a parental couple) and their dependent children living as one household. Extended families include additional relatives such as grandparents; reconstituted (blended) families form when partners bring children from previous relationships.

2Which of the following is a key parental responsibility?

A.Ensuring the child only ever plays with siblings

B.Meeting the child's physical, emotional, social and educational needs

C.Deciding the child must start school at age three

D.Preventing the child from ever forming friendships outside the home

Explanation: Parents (or those with parental responsibility) must meet children's physical needs (food, shelter, safety), emotional needs (love, security), social needs and educational needs. Restricting all outside friendships or forcing early school entry is not a core responsibility.

3Why is planned parenthood often recommended before conception?

A.It guarantees identical twins

B.It allows time to improve health, finances and readiness for a baby

C.It removes the need for antenatal care

D.It ensures the baby will be born at exactly 36 weeks

Explanation: Pre-conceptual planning gives couples time to improve diet, stop smoking or alcohol, take folic acid, consider finances, housing and emotional readiness. It does not remove the need for antenatal care or control exact gestation or twinning.

4Folic acid is recommended before and in early pregnancy mainly to help reduce the risk of which condition?

A.Neural tube defects such as spina bifida

B.Tooth decay in the mother

C.Colour blindness in the baby

D.Left-handedness

Explanation: Folic acid (folate) taken before conception and in the first trimester helps reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida. It is a key part of pre-conceptual and early pregnancy advice.

5Where does fertilisation of a human egg normally take place?

A.In the uterus (womb)

B.In the fallopian (uterine) tube

C.In the ovary

D.In the cervix

Explanation: Sperm usually meet and fertilise the egg in a fallopian (uterine) tube. The fertilised egg then travels to the uterus for implantation.

6Which statement correctly describes identical (monozygotic) twins?

A.They develop from two separate eggs fertilised by two sperm

B.They develop from one fertilised egg that splits into two embryos

C.They are always different sexes

D.They never share a placenta

Explanation: Identical twins come from a single fertilised egg that divides into two embryos, so they share the same genetic material and are the same sex. Non-identical twins come from two eggs and two sperm.

7What is the approximate length of a full-term human pregnancy from the start of the last menstrual period?

A.28 weeks

B.32 weeks

C.40 weeks

D.48 weeks

Explanation: A full-term pregnancy is usually about 40 weeks (around nine months) counted from the first day of the last menstrual period. Birth before 37 weeks is generally considered pre-term.

8Which organ exchanges oxygen, nutrients and waste between mother and baby during pregnancy?

A.The placenta

B.The amniotic sac only

C.The cervix

D.The fallopian tube

Explanation: The placenta is the organ that allows transfer of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus and removal of waste products via the umbilical cord, while normally keeping maternal and fetal blood separate.

9Why are pregnant women advised to avoid soft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert made from unpasteurised milk?

A.They always cause premature labour

B.They may contain Listeria bacteria that can harm the unborn baby

C.They reduce folic acid absorption to zero

D.They make the baby's bones grow too fast

Explanation: Some soft cheeses, especially those made with unpasteurised milk, carry a risk of Listeria infection (listeriosis), which can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in the newborn. Hard cheeses and properly pasteurised options are generally safer choices.

10Pregnant women are advised to avoid raw or lightly cooked eggs mainly because of the risk of which infection?

A.Salmonella

B.Chickenpox

C.Measles

D.Whooping cough

Explanation: Raw or lightly cooked eggs may contain Salmonella bacteria. Thoroughly cooked eggs and products made with pasteurised egg reduce this food-poisoning risk in pregnancy.

About the CCEA GCSE Child Development Exam

CCEA GCSE Home Economics: Child Development is the Northern Ireland GCSE focused on babies and young children from conception to five years. Students learn about families and parenting responsibilities, reproduction and pregnancy, birth and newborn care, feeding, the dietary and health needs of children 0–5, childcare provision, and physical, intellectual, communication, emotional and social development. Assessment is unitised: two external written exams (Units 1 and 2, 30% each) and one Investigation Task controlled assessment (Unit 3, 40%). Written papers mix multiple-choice with short and extended answers; the investigation requires analysis, secondary research, planning, an outcome and evaluation. This OpenExamPrep bank is an original English-language MCQ study adaptation aligned to the 2017 specification content — not an official CCEA paper or a full simulation of the controlled assessment.

Assessment

Unitised GCSE (subject code 3330; QAN 603/0737/7). Unit 1 Parenthood, Pregnancy and the Newborn Baby — external written exam, 30%. Unit 2 The Development of the Child (0–5 Years) — external written exam, 30%. Unit 3 Investigation Task — controlled assessment set by CCEA, marked by the teacher and moderated by CCEA, 40% (100 marks; Parts A–E with word limits, typically up to about 3,000 words overall). Written papers combine multiple-choice, short, structured and extended-response questions.

Time Limit

Unit 1: 1 hour 15 minutes. Unit 2: 1 hour 15 minutes. Unit 3: completed in centre under controlled conditions across the course (word limits apply).

Passing Score

No single pass mark. Graded A* to G. Grade boundaries for the written units and the controlled assessment are set independently each series after marking.

Exam Fee

No fee is paid directly by students. Entry fees for CCEA GCSE Home Economics: Child Development units are paid by schools and registered centres; private candidates are charged by the centre that enters them. (CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment), Northern Ireland)

CCEA GCSE Child Development Exam Content Outline

30%

Unit 1: Parenthood, Pregnancy and the Newborn Baby

Family types and roles; deciding to have a baby; male and female reproduction; conception, fertility and infertility treatments; antenatal care and screening; healthy diet and lifestyle in pregnancy (foods to avoid, substances to avoid); stages of labour and types of birth; the newborn (Apgar, reflexes, appearance); feeding (breast, formula, sterilisation); postnatal care and support.

30%

Unit 2: The Development of the Child (0–5 Years)

Weaning and dietary needs 0–5; food hygiene and special diets; immunisation, common childhood illnesses, first aid and safety; physical, intellectual, communication, emotional and social development milestones; play and learning; discipline and behaviour; clothing and footwear; childcare options and sources of support for families.

40%

Unit 3: Investigation Task

Respond to a CCEA-set title: Part A analysis and justification; Part B secondary research and analysis of own viewpoint; Part C conclusions and evaluation of research; Part D planning and outcome; Part E evaluation of planning and outcome. Develops research, decision-making, practical planning and evaluation skills applied to child-development topics.

How to Pass the CCEA GCSE Child Development Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: No single pass mark. Graded A* to G. Grade boundaries for the written units and the controlled assessment are set independently each series after marking.
Assessment: Unitised GCSE (subject code 3330; QAN 603/0737/7). Unit 1 Parenthood, Pregnancy and the Newborn Baby — external written exam, 30%. Unit 2 The Development of the Child (0–5 Years) — external written exam, 30%. Unit 3 Investigation Task — controlled assessment set by CCEA, marked by the teacher and moderated by CCEA, 40% (100 marks; Parts A–E with word limits, typically up to about 3,000 words overall). Written papers combine multiple-choice, short, structured and extended-response questions.
Time limit: Unit 1: 1 hour 15 minutes. Unit 2: 1 hour 15 minutes. Unit 3: completed in centre under controlled conditions across the course (word limits apply).
Exam fee: No fee is paid directly by students. Entry fees for CCEA GCSE Home Economics: Child Development units are paid by schools and registered centres; private candidates are charged by the centre that enters them.

Keys to Passing

Complete 500+ practice questions
Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
Focus on highest-weighted sections
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

CCEA GCSE Child Development Study Tips from Top Performers

1Learn the exact content lists for Unit 1 and Unit 2 from the CCEA specification and tick topics off as you revise.

2Practise full past papers under timed conditions (1 hour 15 minutes each) and use mark schemes to see how many marks need an explanation, not just a fact.

3For pregnancy diet and lifestyle questions, memorise foods and substances to avoid (for example soft cheeses, raw eggs, pâté, alcohol, smoking) and why each matters.

4Build a PIES milestone table for 0–1, 1–2, 2–3 and 3–5 years so you can compare physical, intellectual, communication, emotional and social development side by side.

5For Unit 3, practise writing a clear issue statement, justified research questions, balanced secondary sources with references, and honest evaluations of methods and outcomes.

6Use subject-specific vocabulary (for example Apgar, colostrum, weaning, gross and fine motor, key person, safeguarding) because examiners reward accurate terminology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the structure of CCEA GCSE Home Economics: Child Development?

Three units: Unit 1 Parenthood, Pregnancy and the Newborn Baby (external exam, 30%), Unit 2 The Development of the Child 0–5 Years (external exam, 30%), and Unit 3 Investigation Task (controlled assessment, 40%).

How long are the written exams?

Each of Unit 1 and Unit 2 lasts 1 hour 15 minutes. Papers include multiple-choice, short, structured and extended-response questions set and marked by CCEA.

What is the Unit 3 Investigation Task?

A controlled assessment set by CCEA each year. Students choose one of the issued tasks and complete Parts A–E (analysis, research, conclusions, planning and outcome, evaluation), usually within an overall word limit of about 3,000 words. Teachers mark the work and CCEA moderates.

How is the subject graded?

Grades run A* to G. There is no single fixed pass mark; grade boundaries are set each series for the written units and the controlled assessment.

Who pays for the exam?

Schools and registered centres pay CCEA entry fees. Students do not normally pay a separate personal exam fee; private candidates pay whatever their entering centre charges.

Are these official CCEA questions?

No. These are original OpenExamPrep four-option MCQ study questions modelled on the 2017 specification content areas. Official papers mix item types and Unit 3 is a controlled investigation — use CCEA past papers and mark schemes for exam-format practice.

100+ Free CCEA GCSE Child Development Practice Questions

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