ICDL Spreadsheets (ICDL) common mistakes
ICDL Spreadsheets · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Finishes the task but leaves the file in the default location with the default name, or saves it as .xlsx when the task asked for CSV, PDF or a specific folder.
Candidates treat Ctrl+S as the last step and never open Save As, so the filename, file type and destination are whatever the application chose by default; the required format also looks like a display option rather than a save option.
What to do instead
Before finishing, use File > Save As and read three fields explicitly: file name, file type (xlsx/csv/pdf) and folder. Reopen the saved file to confirm the format and that the original template was not overwritten.
Sorts a table by clicking one cell (or a single column) and pressing Sort A-Z, so one column reorders while the adjacent columns stay put and the rows no longer correspond to each other.
Sort looks like a column-level operation; when only a cell is selected the application guesses the range, and a blank row or column inside the block makes the guess wrong, so the expanded selection prompt never appears or is dismissed unread.
What to do instead
Remove blank rows/columns first, select the whole table or a cell inside one contiguous block, and confirm the 'Expand the selection' option. Check the marching-ants border covers every column before clicking OK.
Types results into cells (for example =1200*0.2 or a literal total) instead of referring to the cells that hold the inputs, and then edits one input and leaves the old answer in place.
It is faster in the moment and mirrors calculator habits; the candidate is checking the arithmetic rather than thinking about how the spreadsheet should recalculate when data changes.
What to do instead
Build formulas by clicking the cells or typing their addresses, so each formula reads =B2*C2. After entering, change one input value and confirm the dependent cells update; use Ctrl+` to display all formulas and scan for stray numbers.
Fills a formula down or across without locking the fixed reference, so a percentage rate or lookup cell drifts with each row and results become wrong or #REF!/#DIV/0!.
References are relative by default and the formula looks correct in the first cell; the error only becomes visible several rows later, and often the candidate copies the formula by typing it again rather than filling it.
What to do instead
Before filling, place the cursor on the fixed reference and press F4 until it shows $B$1 (or the required mix of $ signs), then fill and spot-check the last row's formula bar to confirm the locked address is unchanged.
Selects a range for SUM, AVERAGE or a chart that includes the header row, the total row, or stops short of the last row, producing double-counted totals, circular references or a chart that omits data.
Dragging the mouse overshoots by a row and the application does not object; if the total cell sits inside the summed range the circular reference warning is often clicked away without being read.
What to do instead
Read the range in the formula bar after entering it, compare it with the actual data boundary, and use the status-bar Sum as a quick cross-check. Test the total against a manual sum of two or three rows.
Leaves numbers stored as text - often after typing an apostrophe, importing, or formatting cells as Text before entry - so SUM returns 0, values align left and sorting is alphabetical (10 before 2).
Pre-formatting a column as Text to protect IDs or phone numbers silently disables arithmetic, and there is no error message; the entry looks identical to a real number on screen.
What to do instead
Check alignment and the status bar: real numbers right-align and show Sum/Count when selected. Convert with Format Cells > Number, Text to Columns, or VALUE(), then confirm SUM now returns a non-zero result.
Merges cells across a row to centre a title or to combine labels, then finds that sorting, filling, filtering and pasting fail or that only the first cell keeps the value.
Merge & Center is the most visible button in the alignment group and gives the wanted appearance immediately; the side effects appear later, in a different operation, so the cause is not connected to the merge.
What to do instead
Avoid merges in data areas. For a title, select the cells and use Format Cells > Alignment > Horizontal > Center Across Selection, which centres text without merging, and keep one value per cell in every table.
Renames or deletes a worksheet after formulas already point to it, leaving #REF! errors, or creates a copy of a sheet and leaves both with the default 'Sheet1 (2)' name, so cross-sheet references are ambiguous or wrong.
The sheet name is treated as decoration rather than part of the address; renaming is done at the end to tidy up, and there is no visible warning that existing formulas depended on the old name.
What to do instead
Name sheets before building cross-sheet formulas, and use the =SheetName!A1 syntax rather than pointing and guessing. After any rename, scan for #REF! and check each sheet tab name is unique and descriptive.
Creates a chart from a range that omits a data series, includes blank or total rows, or picks a pie chart for multi-series data, and then never updates the chart after the data changes.
The chart is built once from a quick drag-selection and judged only on whether it appears; candidates rarely open Select Data or check whether the plotted series match the table's columns and rows.
What to do instead
Select the full table including headers before inserting, then use Chart Design > Select Data to verify each series and its category labels. Choose the chart type by question asked (trend = line, comparison = column, parts of a whole = pie with one series).
Prints or exports without defining a print area, repeating header rows, or fitting the width, so the table splits over several pages, loses its column headings, or leaves one stray column on its own page.
Print settings are a separate layer from the worksheet and the on-screen view looks complete; candidates press Ctrl+P, see the first page, and assume the remaining pages follow the same layout.
What to do instead
In Page Layout, set Print Area to the exact table, set Print Titles to repeat the header row, and choose Fit to 1 page wide. Step through every page in Print Preview and check headers and page breaks before confirming.