16.1 Select data and choose the chart type
Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 · Topic 16: Graphs and charts
16.2 Label and format a chart
Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 · Topic 16: Graphs and charts
20.3 Display, format and print
Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 · Topic 20: Spreadsheets · Paper 3
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.
A typical task: "Create a vertical bar chart showing the number of bikes hired for each bike type only. Label the chart Bike Hire in May. Do not display a legend."
Each instruction is usually a mark: right data, right type, title, axis titles, legend shown or hidden.
Underline every instruction on the question paper and tick it when done.
Chart marks are lost on small details, such as a missing axis title or an unwanted legend. A checklist stops that.
Contiguous data is in one block of cells next to each other, such as A1:B6. Drag across it.
Non-contiguous data is in separate blocks, such as the Bike type column A and the Hires column D. Select the first block, hold the control key, then select the second.
Specified data means only certain rows, such as "only the bikes hired more than 50 times". Sort or filter first, or select only those rows.
Including the Total row is a classic error. The total becomes a giant bar or half the pie. Never select the total unless the task asks for it.
Pick the chart that answers the question the reader is asking.
Pie chart: parts of a whole. Each slice is a share of 100%.
Bar chart (vertical bars are also called a column chart): comparing separate categories.
Line graph: change over time, such as months or years. Scatter graph: whether two sets of numbers are related.
| Chart | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Pie | Parts of a whole (one data series) | Share of hires by bike type |
| Bar / column | Comparing categories | Hires at four Madrid shops |
| Line | Trends over time | Monthly hires from January to December |
| Scatter | Relationship between two numeric variables | Temperature against number of hires |
The wrong type hides the message. A line between shops suggests a trend that does not exist, because shops are not in time order.
A pie chart can show only one data series, and the parts must add up to a meaningful whole. Never use a pie for a trend over time.
Each slice shows a part of the total as a percentage.
Percentage = part ÷ total × 100.
The software calculates this when you choose percentage data labels. You still need the sum to check the chart and for Paper 1.
Dividing by the total gives the fraction of the whole. Multiplying by 100 turns the fraction into a percentage.
Use the toy. Pick a data set, then choose the chart type that suits it. The feedback says if it fits.
Then set the axis minimum, maximum and step, and edit the chart and axis titles.
Notice how a changed axis can make a small difference look huge. Try a bar chart of the café sales with the axis minimum set to 2500.
Choosing the type yourself, then seeing the result, builds the habit of asking "what question does this chart answer?"
There is something to try for this step in the IGCSE library.
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.
Normally cells show values: the results. Formulae view shows what is typed in each cell.
Most spreadsheets have a show formulas option, often on the formulas tab or in the view settings.
In formulae view, widen columns until every formula is fully visible. A cut-off formula cannot be marked.
Adjust row heights and column widths, and wrap text in long headings, so nothing is hidden. Hide or show rows and columns only when the task says.
E3 =VLOOKUP(D3,$H$3:$I$5,2,FALSE) E4 =VLOOKUP(D4,$H$3:$I$5,2,FALSE) ... (same pattern down to E8) F3 =$I$7+E3-C3 F4 =$I$7+E4-C4 ... (same pattern down to F8) G3 =IF(F3=0,"Paid",IF(F3<=10,"Nearly","Chase")) ... (same pattern down to G8) C9 =SUM(C3:C8) E9 =SUM(E3:E8) F9 =SUM(F3:F8) C10 =AVERAGE(C3:C8)
In formulae view numbers lose their formatting, so 46.50 shows as 46.5. That is normal. The examiner wants to see the formulae, not the formatting.
Typical tasks: make headings bold or italic, add shading (a fill colour), add borders, and set alignment.
Align text to the left and numbers to the right, so the decimal points line up.
Merge and centre a title across the top of the data, for example A1:G1.
Apply exactly what is asked, to exactly the cells named.
Consistent formatting is a house style (topic 14). Examiners check that every cell in the stated range has the format, not only the first one.
A number format changes how a value looks. It does not change the value.
Decimal places: 31.8333 shown to 2 decimal places is 31.83. Currency adds a symbol: €31.83, or 31,83 € in Spanish style.
Percentage: the value is shown multiplied by 100, with a % sign. 0.25 shows as 25%.
Use the symbol asked for: euro (€), pound (£) or dollar ($). The $ in a currency format has nothing to do with the $ in an absolute reference.
Do not multiply by 100 and also apply the percentage format. You would get 6315.8%. The format does the × 100 for you.
Conditional formatting changes a cell's format automatically when its value meets a rule.
Select the range, choose the rule (for example "greater than"), type the value, then pick the format.
Because it is a rule, the format updates when the data changes. Colour added by hand does not.
Apply the rule to the whole range asked (F3:F8), not to one cell. "Greater than 20" does not include 20. Use "greater than or equal to" if 20 should count.
Set the orientation: portrait (tall) or landscape (wide). Formulae printouts are wide, so landscape usually fits better.
Use fit to page to scale the printout to 1 page wide, or to the number of pages the task says. Set a print area if only part of the sheet must print.
For formulae printouts, switch on gridlines and row and column headings. Then the examiner can see which cell holds each formula.
Add a header or footer with your name, centre number and candidate number. Check the print preview before you print.
A formula like =$I$7+E3-C3 means nothing on its own. With headings, the examiner sees it sits in F3 and can check what I7 holds.
"Fit to 1 page wide" is not "fit to 1 page". Squeezing a long sheet onto one page can make the text too small to read.
Most lost marks come from the evidence, not from wrong thinking.
Before each printout, ask: is everything visible, is it on the right number of pages, and is my name on it?
| Mistake | How to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Formula cut off in the printout | widen columns in formulae view |
| No row and column headings on a formulae printout | switch them on in page setup |
| Typed number instead of a formula or cell reference | always point to the cell that holds the value |
| Missing $, so copied formulae break | check the last cell you copied into |
| Wrong range (includes a heading or total) | click the formula and check the coloured outline |
| Sorting one column on its own | select the whole list before sorting |
| Named range spelt differently from the question | copy the name exactly |
| No name, centre number or candidate number | header or footer on every printout |
Open the study page and go one step at a time.
Step 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.