16.2 Label and format a chart
Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 · Topic 16: Graphs and charts
15.2 Verification and proofreading
Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 · Topic 15: Proofing
11.1 Manage files effectively
Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 · Topic 11: File management
Say each word, then read what it means. Every one is in the glossary too.
Read it here, or open the study page below to go one step at a time with things to try.
Evidence is how you prove your work. It is often screenshots in an evidence document.
If the examiner cannot read it, it cannot earn a mark. Zoom in or crop before you paste.
Run this check before you save for the last time.
| Item | Check |
|---|---|
| Charts | Title, axis titles, category labels, and a legend only if the task asks for one. |
| Documents | Same spacing and fonts throughout. No blank pages. No widows, orphans or split tables. |
| Reports | Only the fields asked for, in the order asked for. Every value fully visible. |
| Printouts | Your name, centre number and candidate number on every one. |
| Files | Saved with the exact names and formats asked for. |
Most practical marks are lost to small slips, not hard skills. A checklist catches them.
Chart title: says what the chart shows. Type it exactly as the task gives it.
Axis titles: name what each axis measures, with units, such as "Number of hires" or "Price (€)".
Category labels (axis labels): the names along the axis, such as Road, Mountain, Electric. All must be fully visible.
Category labels that are cut off or overlap lose the mark. Make the chart wider or rotate the labels so every word shows in full.
A legend is the key that says what each colour means.
With one data series in a bar chart, a legend adds nothing, so tasks often say "do not display a legend".
With two or more series, or in a pie chart without category labels on the slices, the legend is needed.
Every item on a chart should help the reader. A legend that says only "Series1" confuses.
A legend showing "Series1" means the data was selected without its header. Reselect including the header cell, or rename the series.
Data labels show the number on each bar or slice.
A task may say "show the values" or "show the percentages". On a pie chart you can show the category name and the percentage on each slice.
Values are the raw numbers. Percentages are each value as a share of the total.
Showing values when the task said percentages, or both when it said one, loses the mark.
Format value axis numbers as asked: decimal places, or currency, such as €0.00.
The axis minimum and maximum set where the value axis starts and ends. The increment (major unit) is the step between gridlines, such as every 10.
A typical task: "Set the value axis from 0 to 200 with increments of 25."
Starting the axis at 0 shows differences fairly. Starting at 50 would make 60 look tiny next to 150, which misleads the reader.
The software picks automatic values. If the task gives numbers, you must type them in. The automatic value is almost never what Cambridge asks for.
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.
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.
Double data entry does not mean typing it twice and seeing if it "looks right". The computer compares the two entries character by character.
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".
These are exactly the slips a spell check and validation both miss. A careful eye finds them.
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.
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 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.
| 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A file is a named block of data stored on a disk: a document, a photo, a spreadsheet.
A folder (directory) is a container that holds files and other folders.
A file extension is the short code after the dot in a file name, such as .docx or .jpg. It tells the computer which kind of data the file holds and which software opens it.
Many computers hide extensions by default. In the exam you often need to see them, so switch on 'show file extensions' in the file manager before you start.
In the exam, Cambridge supplies source files, for example a .csv of data, a .txt of text and some images.
Open a file to work on it in its own application, such as a spreadsheet opening a .xlsx file.
Import means bringing data from one file type into another application, such as importing a .csv file into a database table, or placing a .png image into a document.
When importing a .csv, check the field names come from the first row and the data types are correct.
Do not open a source file and retype the data. Importing is quicker and avoids typing errors that lose accuracy marks.
A folder structure is the way folders are arranged inside each other, like branches on a tree.
Plan folders by subject, project or date so related files are kept together.
A clear structure makes files quick to find, easy to back up and easy to share.
If everything sits in one folder, it takes longer to find files, and it is easy to overwrite the wrong one.
A meaningful file name tells you what is inside without opening the file.
Good names are short but clear and may include a date or version number. Avoid spaces or symbols that some systems do not accept. Use _ or - instead.
In the exam, use exactly the file name the question asks for. If it says 'save as JOURNAL', the file must be named JOURNAL.
| Poor name | Better name | Why it is better |
|---|---|---|
| doc1.docx | Y10_Trip_Letter_v2.docx | Says what it is and which version |
| final final NEW.xlsx | Budget_2026-11.xlsx | Clear content and date; no spaces |
| IMG_4821.jpg | Science_Fair_Stand.jpg | Describes the picture |
Saving with the wrong name, or in the wrong place, means the examiner may not find or credit your work.
An application-specific format (proprietary format) is designed for one type of software. It keeps every feature: formulas, styles, layout, macros. Examples: .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, .accdb.
A generic format can be opened by many different programs on any operating system. It may lose some features. Examples: .csv, .txt, .rtf, .pdf, .htm, .css, .jpg, .png, .gif, .zip.
Save keeps the work in the application's own format. Export (or 'Save as' another type) writes a copy in a different format.
Generic formats matter because the person receiving the file may not have the same software. A .csv from any spreadsheet can be read by every database. A .pdf looks the same on any device.
There is something to try for this step in the IGCSE library.
Cambridge lists these generic formats. Learn what each one is for.
Text-type formats come first, then web formats, then images, then compressed files.
| Extension | Full name | What it is and when to use it |
|---|---|---|
| .csv | Comma separated values | Table data as plain text, one record per line, fields separated by commas. Moves data between spreadsheets and databases. No formatting or formulas. |
| .txt | Text | Plain text only: letters, numbers, spaces. No fonts, bold or images. Opens on any computer. |
| .rtf | Rich text format | Text with basic formatting: fonts, bold, italic, sizes, alignment. Opens in almost any word processor. |
| Portable document format | A fixed page that looks the same on any device and printer. Hard to edit. Good for final documents, forms and printing. | |
| .htm / .html | Hypertext markup language | A web page. Opened by any web browser. |
| .css | Cascading stylesheet | Style rules (colours, fonts, layout) for web pages. Linked from .htm files. |
| .jpg / .jpeg | Joint Photographic Experts Group | Photos. Lossy compression gives small files with millions of colours. Some quality is lost. |
| .png | Portable network graphics | Images with lossless compression and transparent backgrounds. Good for logos, diagrams and screenshots. |
| .gif | Graphics interchange format | Simple images and short animations. Only 256 colours. Supports transparency. |
| .zip | Zip (compressed archive) | One or more files compressed into one smaller file, for storing or sending. |
These keep everything the software can do, so you use them while working on a file.
In the exam, save in the application format when told to, so the work can be edited later.
| Extension | Software type | What it keeps |
|---|---|---|
| .docx | Word processor | Styles, headers and footers, tables, images, page layout |
| .xlsx | Spreadsheet | Formulas, functions, several sheets, formatting, charts |
| .accdb | Database | Tables, relationships, queries, forms, reports |
| .pptx | Presentation | Slides, master slide, transitions, animations, speaker notes |
| .odt / .ods / .odp | Free office software (OpenDocument) | The same features for open-source office programs |
Saving a spreadsheet as .csv keeps only the values of the current sheet. All formulas, formatting and other sheets are lost. Keep a .xlsx copy too.
Ask three questions: who will open it, will they need to edit it, and what must be kept?
Use a generic format when the reader's software is unknown. Use an application format when you, or someone with the same software, will keep editing.
| Situation | Best format | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Send a final newsletter that must look identical everywhere | Fixed layout; opens on any device; hard to change | |
| Move a list of members from a spreadsheet to a database | .csv | Plain table data any database can import |
| Logo with a transparent background for a website | .png | Lossless and supports transparency |
| Holiday photo for a website | .jpg | Small file size, good enough quality for photos |
| Letter someone else will edit in a different word processor | .rtf | Keeps basic formatting and opens in most word processors |
| Spreadsheet you are still building | .xlsx | Keeps formulas and formatting |
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ICT topic 18Step by step, with exam questions and a quiz.
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Topic 18 · Year 7Data is raw facts. Information is data with meaning. Spreadsheets calculate, databases store and search, AI learns patterns from examples.
One question at a time. The reason shows after each answer.