PIP Descriptor 1 Preparing Food Examples: How to Score Points Under Regulation 4(2A)

1. The Statutory Test: What Counts as 'Preparing Food'?

Activity 1 tests your ability to prepare and cook a simple one-course meal for one person from fresh ingredients, using a conventional cooker hob at waist height.

What is a "Simple Meal"?

Under official DWP guidance and Upper Tribunal case law, a simple meal is defined as:

• Peeling, chopping, and preparing raw fresh vegetables (e.g. carrots, potatoes).
• Opening packaging, tins, or jars.
• Handling raw meat, poultry, or fish.
• Cooking the ingredients on a conventional hob (e.g. boiling in a saucepan or frying).
• Safely lifting hot saucepans and draining boiling water into a sink.

Critical Note: Heating a pre-cooked supermarket ready meal in a microwave is not preparing a simple meal from fresh ingredients. If you can only use a microwave because you cannot safely chop or cook over a hob, you legally qualify for points under Descriptor 1c (2 points).

The Legal Definition of a Conventional Cooker

The law assumes a cooker hob at waist height. You cannot be disqualified from points on the basis that you have an induction hob, a microwave, or a slow cooker. The test specifically measures whether you have the physical and cognitive capacity to prepare raw food and cook it on a standard hob.

2. The 6 Descriptors and Points Tariff

Here is the official points tariff for Activity 1, accompanied by concrete examples of physical and cognitive restrictions:

Descriptor 1a: Can prepare and cook a simple meal unaided (0 points)

• You can peel, chop, lift, boil, and drain hot food safely, without aids, prompting, or supervision, and can do so repeatedly whenever required.

Descriptor 1b: Needs to use an aid or appliance (2 points)

You require specialised equipment to cook safely or manage pain and fatigue:

• Perching stool: You cannot stand at the kitchen counter for the 20 to 30 minutes needed to chop and cook without severe spinal or joint pain.
• Ergonomic adaptive knives or chopper: Weak grip, arthritis, or tremor prevents you from using standard kitchen knives safely.
• Lightweight two-handled saucepans or kettle tippers: Reduced dexterity or joint weakness makes lifting standard pans dangerous.
• Non-slip chopping mats or jar openers: Physical impairment prevents one-handed or bilateral stabilisation.

Descriptor 1c: Cannot cook using a conventional cooker, but can use a microwave (2 points)

• You cannot stand over open flames or hot electric elements due to balance issues, sudden dizzy spells (POTs), tremor, or severe anxiety, but you can press buttons on a microwave to heat pre-prepared food.

Descriptor 1d: Needs prompting to prepare or cook a simple meal (2 points)

Cognitive, sensory, or mental health restrictions mean you do not cook unless reminded or encouraged:

• Depression / Severe Apathy: You have zero motivation to eat, regularly skipping meals for days at a time unless a partner, family member, or carer prompts you.
• ADHD / Neurodivergence / Brain Injury: Severe executive dysfunction means you forget food on the stove, get overwhelmed by multi-step tasks, or abandon cooking halfway through.

Descriptor 1e: Needs supervision or assistance (4 points)

You cannot cook without another person present in the kitchen:

• Seizure / Syncope Disorders: Epilepsy or fainting conditions mean you could collapse while holding a boiling pot; someone must supervise you constantly for safety.
• Physical Assistance: You cannot open tins with a pull ring or drain boiling potatoes; another person must physically carry out these steps for you.
• Severe Visual Impairment: Risk of serious burns or knife lacerations requires supervision from a sighted companion.

Descriptor 1f: Cannot prepare and cook a simple meal at all (8 points)

• Even with someone assisting you, aids, and supervision, your combined physical and cognitive limitations are so severe that you cannot participate in preparing a meal.

3. Applying Regulation 4(2A) SARR Rules to Food Preparation

Assessors often reject claims by saying: "Claimant stated they make toast or boil an egg, therefore they have functional dexterity."

You must counter this using the statutory S.A.R.R. criteria:

1. Safely: Do you suffer burns, knife cuts, or drop items? If you have dropped a boiling saucepan or cut yourself due to numbness, cite these incidents with dates. An activity is not done safely if there is a realistic risk of harm.
2. To an acceptable standard: Do you leave vegetables unwashed or raw? Is the food edible?
3. Repeatedly: If preparing a simple lunch exhausts your energy reserves so severely that you cannot prepare an evening meal or wash yourself afterwards, you cannot do it repeatedly.
4. Within a reasonable timeframe: If peeling and chopping vegetables takes you 60 minutes because of chronic hand stiffness, that is more than twice the time an unimpaired person would take (approx. 15–20 mins). Legally, you are deemed unable to do it.

Crucial Form Drafting Formula

Never write: 'I struggle to cook.' Instead write: 'Because of severe rheumatoid arthritis in both wrists (Diagnosis), I cannot grip a standard knife safely (Regulation 4(2A) - Safely). Chopping vegetables causes grade-7 pain within 3 minutes, so I require an adapted angled knife and a perching stool (Descriptor 1b - 2 points). Even with aids, I take over 45 minutes to prepare basic vegetables (Reasonable Timeframe).'

4. What Medical Evidence Wins Points for Activity 1?

Support your statement with targeted clinical evidence:

• Occupational Therapy (OT) Reports: Assessment of kitchen adaptations, perching stool prescriptions, or modified cutlery recommendations.
• Physiotherapy Reports: Documenting reduced grip strength, finger contractures, or spinal load limits.
• Care Plans & Carer Statements: Confirmation from a partner or carer detailing how many meals they cook for you each week and what physical assistance they provide.
• Prescription Lists: Strong analgesics (e.g. Gabapentin, Pregabalin, Opiates) confirming severe pain.

Official DWP Form Submission

MyPIPApp is an independent guidance platform. Saving drafts in our application does not update or notify the DWP. If you need to request an extension or replacement PIP2 questionnaire, telephone the official DWP Helpline on 0800 121 4433.

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