Word Processing and Spreadsheets
Word Processing and Spreadsheets tests document formatting, page layout and mail merge in a word processor, plus cell references, formulas, functions, charts and sorting in a spreadsheet. Expect practical-style questions: choose the correct formula or explain why a formula fails.
Core rules
- Word processors use character formatting (font, size, bold), paragraph formatting (alignment, spacing, indents), styles, tables, find/replace, spell check, headers/footers and page setup (margins, orientation, paper size).
- Mail merge combines a main document with a data source to produce personalised letters; fields such as <> are placeholders.
- A spreadsheet cell is referenced by column letter and row number (B3). A range is written B2:B6. Every formula starts with =.
- Relative references (A1) change when copied; absolute references ($A$1) stay fixed. Functions: =SUM(B2:B6), =AVERAGE(B2:B6), =COUNT(B2:B6) counts numeric cells, =MAX, =MIN, =IF(condition, true_value, false_value).
- Charts show data visually; choose column for comparison, line for trend, pie for parts of a whole. Sorting rearranges rows; filtering hides rows that do not match.
Worked example
Cells A1=10, A2=20 and B1=5. What is =(A1+A2)B1? Reasoning: brackets first: A1+A2 = 30. Then multiply by B1: 30×5 = 150. Without brackets, =A1+A2B1 would be 10 + (20×5) = 110 because multiplication precedes addition. If the formula in C1 is =A1+B1 and you copy it to C2, it becomes =A2+B2; use $A$1+$B$1 to keep it fixed.
Traps
- Typing a formula without the leading =; it becomes text.
- Forgetting operator precedence or parentheses.
- Counting text cells with COUNT instead of COUNTA.
- Sorting only one column and breaking row relationships.
- Using $ in the wrong place when copying formulas.