LCA Italian common mistakes
LCA Italian · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
When asked to save a document in a legacy format such as .doc or .xls, the candidate leaves the default "Use ODF format" choice selected in the format dialog and clicks Save, so the file is written as .odt/.ods instead of the requested type.
The format dialog appears on every Save As and defaults to ODF; candidates who have rehearsed the save steps in ODF-only practice files click through the dialog without reading the extension list, and the exam then inspects the actual file extension.
What to do instead
Before clicking Save, look at the file type drop-down and the extension shown in the file name field; select the requested type explicitly and, when the 'Keep current format' confirmation appears, choose that option. Practise the full Save As path once for each legacy format (doc, xls, ppt, csv) so the dialog sequence is automatic.
The candidate types the whole text first and then applies direct formatting (bold, font size, colour) to headings instead of applying built-in Heading 1/Heading 2 paragraph styles, so the document has no real outline.
Direct formatting is faster and looks identical on screen; candidates do not realise the task checks the paragraph style name or the generated table of contents, which only works from outline-level styles.
What to do instead
Apply styles from the Styles sidebar (F11) or the style drop-down in the formatting toolbar before adjusting appearance; if a heading must look different, modify the Heading style itself rather than formatting the text directly. Verify with View > Navigator or by inserting a table of contents to confirm the outline is recognised.
In a Calc task that asks for a total, average, or count, the candidate types the computed number by hand into the cell instead of entering a formula, or types the formula as text starting with an apostrophe.
The result looks correct on the sheet, so the candidate believes the task is done; the grader recalculates after changing source values, and a hard-coded number or text string does not update.
What to do instead
Always start with = and reference cell ranges, e.g. =SUM(B2:B20) or =AVERAGE(C2:C20). Confirm the cell shows the formula in the formula bar and the result in the cell, and test by temporarily changing one source value to see the total change.
The candidate sorts or filters a Calc range by selecting only the data column rather than the whole table, so rows become misaligned, or applies an AutoFilter without first selecting the full data range including headers.
Users click in a single cell and use Data > Sort, which may expand the selection unpredictably; and filters are often applied to a partial range, leaving some rows unfiltered.
What to do instead
Select the entire block including the header row (or click one cell inside it and use Data > Sort with 'Range contains column labels' checked) before sorting. For AutoFilter, select the whole range first, then Data > AutoFilter, and check the drop-down arrows appear on the header row of every column.
When asked to apply a master slide, change the slide background, or add a footer/slide number to all slides, the candidate edits each slide individually instead of using View > Master Slide.
The Master view is less obvious than the normal editing view, and candidates fear breaking the deck; editing slides one by one gives the same visual result but does not satisfy a task that checks the master or the Insert > Header and Footer settings.
What to do instead
Use View > Master Slide to change background, fonts, and placeholder positions once for the master, then close the master view. Use Insert > Header and Footer and tick 'Apply to all' for slide numbers and footers. Verify by adding a new slide and confirming it inherits the changes.
The candidate builds a slide transition when the task asks for an object animation (or vice versa), or applies an animation to the slide's title placeholder instead of the intended object.
Both features live on the Slide menu / sidebar and both are called 'effects' colloquially; the candidate clicks the first effect panel they find and does not check whether it is a transition (whole slide) or an animation (selected object).
What to do instead
Select the specific object first, then open the Animation panel (Slide > Animation or the Sidebar) and add the effect there; transitions are set with no object selected via Slide > Slide Transition. Read the task wording: 'when the slide appears' means transition, 'when the object appears' means animation.
In Draw, the candidate draws rectangles, ellipses, or connectors as separate free-floating shapes and never groups them, so moving the diagram breaks alignment and the task's grouping requirement is unmet.
Each shape is created as an independent object; grouping is a separate step candidates skip because the drawing already looks right.
What to do instead
Select all component shapes (Shift-click or drag a marquee), then Shape > Group (or Ctrl+Shift+G). Use the connector tool rather than plain lines so shapes stay attached when moved, and check the status bar shows a grouped object after grouping.
In Base, the candidate creates a query or report but saves it as a table, or builds a table by typing data directly into a new table's datasheet without defining field types and a primary key.
The Tasks pane offers several creation wizards that look similar, and the datasheet view accepts typed data immediately, so the candidate does not notice that field types, lengths, and the primary key were never set.
What to do instead
Create tables in Design View (or via the Table Wizard) and set each field's type and a primary key before entering data. To create a query, use Queries > Create Query in Design View or the Query Wizard and save it in the Queries container; check the object appears under the correct category in the main database window.
In Math, the candidate types a formula using characters such as ^, /, or _ directly in the formula editor and expects them to render as superscript, fraction, or subscript, producing wrong or error-marked output.
The syntax resembles plain text maths, but Math uses keywords and brackets (over, sqrt, sup, sub) and a strict token order; users unused to the markup assume ordinary operator characters behave as in a word processor.
What to do instead
Use the Elements panel to insert structures, or type the keywords: a over b for fractions, sqrt{x} for roots, x^2 for powers, x_1 for subscripts, and braces to group multi-character terms. Use the right-click menu or F4/F5 panels to insert symbols, and preview the rendered formula before closing the editor.
During a Writer or Calc practical task, the candidate uses Ctrl+Z repeatedly to undo an accidental change but overshoots and removes earlier correct work, then continues without checking the document state.
Undo is applied as a reflex after each mis-click, and the Undo history in LibreOffice is a single stack covering all edits, so several presses can revert more than intended.
What to do instead
Use Edit > Undo once and read the tooltip describing the action before confirming; use the Undo drop-down arrow to see the history and select the exact point to return to. Save a copy (File > Save As with a versioned name) before risky bulk operations so recovery does not depend on the undo stack.