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Year 11 · ICT · Autumn 1 · Safety and security; audience; communication

Practical: proofing a whole document

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What this lesson covers

15.2 Verification and proofreading

Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 · Topic 15: Proofing

15.1 Software tools: spell check, grammar check and validation

Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 · Topic 15: Proofing

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.

Success criteria

  • 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.
The syllabus points for these sections
  • Describe visual verification and double data entry.
  • Spot transposition, spelling, spacing and case errors.
  • Explain the difference between validation and verification.
  • Proofread layout: spacing, blank pages, widows and orphans, split tables and lists.
  • Use spell check and grammar check, and judge each suggestion.
  • Explain why automated suggestions are not always correct.
  • Describe validation checks and what they can and cannot catch.
  • Give examples of range, length, type, format, presence and check digit checks.

Key words

Say each word, then read what it means. Every one is in the glossary too.

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.
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.
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.
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.

The explanation

Read it here, or open the study page below to go one step at a time with things to try.

15.2 Verification and proofreading

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.

e.g.Example
Double data entry of a phone number: First entry: 612 345 678 Second entry: 612 354 678 The computer finds a mismatch, so the operator checks the paper form and corrects it.
?Why?

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.

!Watch out

Double data entry does not mean typing it twice and seeing if it "looks right". The computer compares the two entries character by character.

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".

e.g.Example
Source: Order 4521, Calle de Alcalá 28, MADRID Typed: Order 4512, Calle de alcalá 28, MADRID Errors: 4521 → 4512 (transposition), alcalá (case), two spaces before MADRID (spacing).
?Why?

These are exactly the slips a spell check and validation both miss. A careful eye finds them.

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.

?Why?

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.

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.

ValidationVerification
Question it answersIs the data sensible and allowed?Was the data copied accurately?
Who or what does itThe computer, automaticallyA person (visual) or the computer comparing two entries
MethodsRange, length, type, format, presence, check digitVisual check, double data entry
CatchesImpossible values, wrong format, empty fieldsTyping errors, transpositions
MissesWrong but sensible valuesErrors already on the source document
!Watch out

Saying "validation checks the data is correct" loses the mark. Use the word sensible or reasonable for validation and accurately copied for verification.

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.

?Why?

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.

!Watch out

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.

A proofing routine for the practical exam

1. Run spell check with English (UK). Judge each suggestion. Keep names from the source.

2. Compare every piece of text you typed with the question paper, word by word.

3. Turn on formatting marks. Look for double spaces and extra blank lines.

4. Print preview every page: spacing, blank pages, widows and orphans, split tables, header and footer on every page.

!Watch out

How candidates lose marks: accepting a wrong spell-check suggestion for a name; a transposed number in a table; a blank last page; a heading stranded at the bottom of a page; a table or bulleted list split over two pages; extra blank lines between some paragraphs only.

15.1 Software tools: spell check, grammar check and validation

Spell check and grammar check

A spell check compares each word with a dictionary stored in the software. Words not in the dictionary are underlined, often with a red line.

A grammar check looks for problems with sentence structure, such as "they was" or a missing capital letter.

Both offer suggestions. You decide whether to accept each one.

?Why?

These tools catch most typing slips quickly. They are a good first pass, not the last one.

!Watch out

Set the dictionary language to English (UK). With English (US) the checker flags "colour" and "organise" as wrong, and may tempt you to change correct UK spellings.

Why suggestions are not always right

A spell check only knows whether a word exists. It does not know whether it is the right word.

"Their are two bikes" passes a spell check because "their" is a real word. "Form" typed instead of "from" also passes.

Names, place names and technical words, such as Malasaña or Tawara, are flagged as errors even when correct.

e.g.Example
Source text: Meet at Plaza Mayor from 10:00. Typed: Meet at Plaza Mayor form 10:00. Spell check: no error found. Visual check against the source: "form" should be "from".
!Watch out

In the exam, a company or product name from the source file is often flagged. Do not accept the suggestion. The examiner wants the name exactly as given.

Validation: the computer checks the data is sensible

Validation is an automatic check by the computer that data is reasonable and follows rules. It happens when data is entered.

It checks that data is sensible, not that it is correct. An age of 41 typed instead of 14 passes a range check of 0 to 120.

If data fails, the computer rejects it and shows an error message.

CheckWhat it testsExample
RangeValue is between a lowest and highest valueExam mark from 0 to 70
LengthNumber of characters is allowedSpanish mobile number has 9 digits
Type (character)Data is the right type, such as numbers onlyQuantity must be a whole number
FormatData matches a patternDate as DD/MM/YYYY; Spanish car plate 1234 ABC
PresenceField is not left emptyEmail address must be filled in
Check digitLast digit, calculated from the others, matchesSupermarket barcode (EAN-13), ISBN
?Why?

Validation stops impossible or badly formed data entering a system, such as a negative price or a date of 31/02/2026.

Where validation appears in the practical papers

In a database task, you may set a validation rule on a field, such as `>=0 And <=70`, with a validation text message such as "Mark must be from 0 to 70".

In a spreadsheet task, data validation can allow only a list of values, such as Road, Mountain, Electric.

You then test it: try a value that should be accepted and one that should be rejected. Take screenshots of both as evidence.

e.g.Example
Field: Hours (number of hours a bike is hired) Rule: >=1 And <=8 Test 1: enter 4 → accepted. Test 2: enter 9 → rejected with message "Hours must be from 1 to 8".
!Watch out

Showing only the accepted value proves nothing. The rejected test and its error message are the evidence that the rule works.

Study it

Open the study page and go one step at a time.

ICT topic 8

Safety and security

Step by step, with exam questions and a quiz.

ICT topic 9

Audience

Step by step, with exam questions and a quiz.

ICT topic 10

Communication

Step by step, with exam questions and a quiz.

ICT topic 15

Proofing

Step by step, with exam questions and a quiz.

Topic 14 · Year 9

Programming further

Real programs keep data in lists, take text apart as strings, split work into subroutines, and get tested on purpose.

Check yourself

One question at a time. The reason shows after each answer.

Saved on this device.