ICDL Advanced Documents common mistakes
ICDL Advanced Documents · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Applying direct formatting (bold, font size, spacing) to headings instead of applying a built-in Heading style.
It looks correct on screen, so candidates stop once the visual result matches and never consider that the underlying style drives navigation, TOC, and outline levels.
What to do instead
Apply the built-in Heading 1/Heading 2 styles first, then modify the style itself (right-click > Modify) if the appearance must change, so all headings update consistently.
Using the spacebar or empty paragraphs to align text, indent paragraphs, or push content to a new page.
It is the fastest way to make a single page look right, and candidates do not anticipate that later edits will shift the layout.
What to do instead
Use paragraph indentation, tab stops, alignment, and paragraph spacing for layout, and insert a manual page break (Ctrl+Enter) or set 'Page break before' in paragraph settings instead of repeated Enter presses.
Editing individual paragraphs directly when the intent was to change every paragraph of that style document-wide.
Candidates select the visible text and format it, not realising the task tests style-level changes that must propagate to all instances.
What to do instead
Modify the style definition (Styles pane > Modify) so every paragraph using that style updates; reserve direct formatting for genuine one-off exceptions.
Building a table of contents by typing entries and page numbers manually rather than inserting an automatic TOC field.
It produces the expected visual output quickly, and candidates may not know the References > Table of Contents command or trust it to format correctly.
What to do instead
Insert an automatic TOC from the References tab, ensure headings use Heading styles so they are captured, then use Update Table after any edit.
Inserting a table of contents or cross-reference without updating fields, leaving stale page numbers or 'Error! Reference source not found.' text.
Fields populate at insertion but do not refresh automatically after edits, and candidates do not know fields must be updated or the document printed with updated fields.
What to do instead
Select the field and press F9 (or right-click > Update Field), update the whole TOC, and check the print option to update fields before printing.
Creating footnotes or endnotes by typing a superscript number and the note text at the bottom of the page manually.
It reproduces the look of a note, and candidates may not realise notes must be linked, auto-numbered, and reflow when content changes.
What to do instead
Use References > Insert Footnote / Insert Endnote so numbering is automatic and notes stay attached to their reference marks.
Adding captions to figures and tables as plain typed text instead of using the Insert Caption feature.
Typed captions look identical, and candidates do not connect captions to the automatic table of figures or cross-references that depend on them.
What to do instead
Use References > Insert Caption, choose the label (Figure/Table) and numbering, so captions can be cross-referenced and listed in a table of figures.
Inserting section breaks as plain page breaks, so headers, footers, or page orientation cannot differ between sections.
Page breaks and section breaks look similar on screen, and candidates reach for the more familiar page break when a new section is actually required.
What to do instead
Use Layout > Breaks > Next Page (or Continuous) section break whenever headers/footers, numbering, columns, or orientation must change, and unlink headers from the previous section as needed.
Leaving Track Changes off while editing a shared document, or accepting/rejecting changes without reviewing them, so the required markup is missing or wrongly resolved.
Candidates focus on making the edit and forget to enable review mode first, or they clear all markup when the task expects specific changes kept or rejected.
What to do instead
Enable Track Changes (Review > Track Changes) before editing, then review each change and use Accept/Reject individually or Accept All as the task specifies.
Protecting or sharing a document without setting the required restriction, such as leaving editing unrestricted when only comments or form fields should be allowed.
The protection dialog has several options, and candidates pick any restriction or skip it, assuming saving the file is sufficient.
What to do instead
Use Review > Restrict Editing, choose the correct restriction type (e.g. comments only, tracked changes, form fields) and apply enforcement, then verify by testing that disallowed edits are blocked.