Year 11 · ICT · Autumn 1
Safety and security; audience; communication · Lesson 5 of 5
Practical: proofing a whole document
Practical15.2 Verification and proofreading15.1 Software tools: spell check, grammar check and validation
Year 11 · ICT · Safety and security; audience; communication · Lesson 5 of 5
You will learn to
- Identify spelling, transposition, spacing, case and consistency errors in a document.
- Use spell check and grammar check, and judge each suggestion before accepting it.
- Identify layout errors: blank pages, widows and orphans, and split tables and lists.
- Correct every error against the specification within the time allowed.
Year 11 · ICT · Safety and security; audience; communication · Lesson 5 of 5
Success criteria
You have got it when you can say:
- I can find and fix every error on the list in the time given.
- I can give an example of a spell-check suggestion that would be wrong.
- I can explain what a widow and an orphan are.
Year 11 · ICT · Safety and security; audience; communication · Lesson 5 of 5
Retrieval starter
Questions from before. Write your answers, then show them.
- Last lesson
Two-factor authentication adds…
A A longer passwordB A second proof, like a code sent to your phoneC A firewall
B. A second proof, like a code sent to your phone
- Earlier this unit
A widow or orphan is…
A A single line of a paragraph left alone at the top or bottom of a pageB A spelling mistakeC A blank page
A. A single line of a paragraph left alone at the top or bottom of a page
- Last year
Magnetic tape is used for…
A Fast game loadingB Large, cheap backupsC Phones
B. Large, cheap backups
Year 11 · ICT · Safety and security; audience; communication · Lesson 5 of 5
Key words (1 of 4)
- Proofing
- Checking work for errors before it is used or printed.
- Spell check
- A tool that compares words with a stored dictionary and flags unknown ones.
- Grammar check
- A tool that flags possible mistakes in sentence structure.
- Validation
- An automatic check by the computer that data is sensible and follows set rules.
Year 11 · ICT · Safety and security; audience; communication · Lesson 5 of 5
Key words (2 of 4)
- Verification
- A check that data has been copied accurately from its source.
- Visual verification
- A person compares entered data with the source document by eye.
- Double data entry
- Data is typed twice and the computer compares the two versions.
- Source document
- The original document the data is taken from, such as a paper form.
Year 11 · ICT · Safety and security; audience; communication · Lesson 5 of 5
Key words (3 of 4)
- Transposition error
- Two characters swapped round, such as 54 typed as 45.
- Range check
- Validation that a value lies between a lowest and highest value.
- Presence check
- Validation that a field has not been left empty.
- Format check
- Validation that data matches a set pattern, such as DD/MM/YYYY.
Year 11 · ICT · Safety and security; audience; communication · Lesson 5 of 5
Key words (4 of 4)
- Check digit
- An extra digit calculated from the other digits, used to detect input errors.
- Widow
- The last line of a paragraph left alone at the top of a new page.
- Orphan
- The first line of a paragraph left alone at the bottom of a page.
- Proofreading
- Reading a document carefully to find errors in text and layout.
15.2 Verification and proofreading · The explanation · step 1 of 10 · part 1 of 3
Verification: is it the same as the source?
Verification checks that data has been copied or typed accurately from the source document. The source is the original, such as a paper form.
There are two methods. Visual verification: a person compares the entered data with the source by eye. Double data entry: the data is typed twice, and the computer compares the two versions.
If the two versions differ, the computer flags the item so a person can check it.
15.2 Verification and proofreading · The explanation · step 1 of 10 · part 2 of 3
Verification: is it the same as the source? (continued)
Validation cannot know what the source said. Only comparing with the source, by eye or by a second typing, can catch a sensible but wrong value.
15.2 Verification and proofreading · The explanation · step 1 of 10 · part 3 of 3
Verification: is it the same as the source? (continued)
Double data entry does not mean typing it twice and seeing if it "looks right". The computer compares the two entries character by character.
15.2 Verification and proofreading · The explanation · step 2 of 10 · part 1 of 2
Errors to look for in a visual check
Transposition: two characters swapped, such as 1945 typed as 1954, or "form" for "from".
Spelling: a letter missing, added or wrong.
Consistent spacing: one space between words, the same gap after every full stop.
Consistent case: capital letters exactly as in the source, such as "Madrid" not "madrid".
15.2 Verification and proofreading · The explanation · step 2 of 10 · part 2 of 2
Errors to look for in a visual check (continued)
These are exactly the slips a spell check and validation both miss. A careful eye finds them.
15.2 Verification and proofreading · The explanation · step 3 of 10 · part 1 of 2
Try it: verify or validate?
Use the toy. In part 1, fix the second entry so the double entry check passes. In part 2, tap each field on screen that is different from the paper form.
In part 3, type marks and see the range check. Notice which errors each method catches.
Look for a value that passes validation but is still wrong, such as 76 typed for 67.
15.2 Verification and proofreading · The explanation · step 3 of 10 · part 2 of 2
Try it: verify or validate? (continued)
Seeing a wrong but sensible value pass validation is the best way to remember why both checks are needed.
There is something to try for this step in the IGCSE library.
15.2 Verification and proofreading · The explanation · step 4 of 10 · part 1 of 2
Validation vs verification
Validation asks: is this data reasonable? It is done by the computer, using rules.
Verification asks: is this data the same as the source? It compares with the original.
A system uses both. Neither one proves the data is true. A form filled in wrongly by the customer passes both.
15.2 Verification and proofreading · The explanation · step 4 of 10 · part 2 of 2
Validation vs verification (continued)
| Validation | Verification | |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | Is the data sensible and allowed? | Was the data copied accurately? |
| Who or what does it | The computer, automatically | A person (visual) or the computer comparing two entries |
| Methods | Range, length, type, format, presence, check digit | Visual check, double data entry |
| Catches | Impossible values, wrong format, empty fields | Typing errors, transpositions |
| Misses | Wrong but sensible values | Errors already on the source document |
Saying "validation checks the data is correct" loses the mark. Use the word sensible or reasonable for validation and accurately copied for verification.
15.2 Verification and proofreading · The explanation · step 5 of 10 · part 1 of 2
Proofread the layout
Open print preview and check every page.
Consistent line spacing and paragraph spacing throughout. No blank pages, often caused by extra Enters or a stray page break at the end.
No widows or orphans. A widow is the last line of a paragraph alone at the top of a page. An orphan is the first line of a paragraph alone at the bottom of a page.
Tables and lists not split across pages, unless they are too long to fit on one page.
15.2 Verification and proofreading · The explanation · step 5 of 10 · part 2 of 2
Proofread the layout (continued)
Widows, orphans and split tables break the reader's flow and look careless. Cambridge mark schemes give a mark for a layout free of them.
Turn on widow and orphan control in the paragraph settings. Use keep with next for a heading, so it never sits alone at the bottom of a page above its text.
The explanation · 5 more steps
More on the lesson page
The lesson page has the rest of the explanation, step by step:
- A proofing routine for the practical exam
- Spell check and grammar check
- Why suggestions are not always right
- Validation: the computer checks the data is sensible
- Where validation appears in the practical papers
Year 11 · ICT · Safety and security; audience; communication · Lesson 5 of 5
Quick quiz · 1 of 3
A presentation for young children should have…
- A Big text and pictures, few words
- B Dense data tables
- C Formal language
A. Big text and pictures, few words
Design for the audience's age and reading level.
Year 11 · ICT · Safety and security; audience; communication · Lesson 5 of 5
Quick quiz · 2 of 3
Copyright protects…
- A Only registered work
- B Only software
- C Creative work automatically, from the moment it is made
C. Creative work automatically, from the moment it is made
Writing, music, photos, code and games are all covered.
Year 11 · ICT · Safety and security; audience; communication · Lesson 5 of 5
Quick quiz · 3 of 3
A dongle is used to…
- A Stop software running without it
- B Store photos
- C Speed up the internet
A. Stop software running without it
A physical key against piracy, with licences and product keys.
Year 11 · ICT · Safety and security; audience; communication · Lesson 5 of 5
Exit ticket
Answer on paper before you go. Then check.
Software piracy is…
A A licenceB A type of virusC Illegal copying of software
C. Illegal copying of software Using software without a valid licence.
Bcc is used so that…
A The email is biggerB Recipients cannot see each other's addressesC It arrives faster
B. Recipients cannot see each other's addresses Blind carbon copy. Use it for a class mailing.
Year 11 · ICT · Safety and security; audience; communication · Lesson 5 of 5
Homework and the challenge
Homework
The ICT 8, ICT 9 and ICT 10 quizzes.
End-of-unit challenge
End-of-unit test: topics 8 to 10 theory.