Information and Communication Technology (0417) | Present data

Spreadsheet Skills: Presenting Your Data Effectively (20.3)

Hello future ICT experts! Welcome to the section all about making your spreadsheet data look professional, accurate, and easy to understand. Think of raw data as a pile of ingredients; this chapter is where you learn to turn those ingredients into a perfectly plated meal!

In the IGCSE ICT practical exam, it’s not enough to calculate the correct answer—you must present it clearly and precisely. Let’s dive into the essential presentation skills for your spreadsheets.

1. Adjusting Display Features: Showing Your Work

Spreadsheets hold two types of information: the values (the results) and the formulae (the instructions used to get the results). Depending on the task, you need to be able to switch between displaying these two things.

Displaying Values versus Formulae

Most of the time, you will display the values (the numbers or text results) that your users need to see. However, when proofing or testing your spreadsheet model, you might be asked to display the formulae.

• Displaying Values: This is the default view. It shows the calculated answer (e.g., 500).
• Displaying Formulae: This shows the actual calculation used (e.g., =SUM(A1:A5)). You usually toggle this view using a setting like "Show Formulas" (often found in the Formulas tab or by pressing CTRL + `).

Important Rule: Whether you display values or formulae, you must adjust the column width and row height so that ALL data, labels, and formulae are fully visible. No hash symbols (#####) or clipped text allowed!

Analogy: Imagine a TV screen. If the picture is too big for the screen, you can’t see the edges. Adjusting the column width is like zooming out so the entire picture fits.

Ensuring Visibility

To guarantee all content is visible, you need to manage cell dimensions:

• Adjust Row Height and Column Width: You can manually drag the borders between column letters or row numbers, or use the "AutoFit" feature which automatically adjusts the size to fit the longest content.
• Wrap Text: If a cell contains a long label (like a column heading) and you don't want the column to become unnecessarily wide, you can enable Wrap Text. This makes the cell taller so the text breaks onto multiple lines within the cell boundary.

Hiding Data

Sometimes, your spreadsheet contains helper columns or raw data that the final user doesn't need to see.

• You must be able to hide and display specific rows and columns. This is often done by right-clicking the row or column heading and selecting 'Hide'.

2. Formatting Numeric Data: Precision and Clarity

The raw number 45.89765 means very little until you tell the user what it represents. Is it money? A percentage? You must format numbers appropriately.

Standard Numeric Formatting

You will frequently be asked to apply specific formatting:

1. Number of Decimal Places: For precision, you must set the number of decimal places accurately. For financial data, this is often 2 decimal places (e.g., 45.89).
2. Currency Symbols: Apply the specified currency symbol (e.g., \( \$\) or \( \text{\textsterling} \)).
3. Percentages: Display a value as a percentage (e.g., 0.75 becomes 75%).

Common Mistake: Students sometimes forget to apply the formatting to the whole range of relevant cells. Make sure your selection is correct before formatting!

3. Enhancing Spreadsheets (Aesthetic Formatting)

Good formatting guides the user's eye and highlights important information.

Applying Text and Cell Styles

You need to enhance the spreadsheet by applying various text and cell attributes:

• Text Enhancement: Use Bold, Italic, or Underline to draw attention to titles, totals, or key figures.
• Text Colour and Cell Colour (Shading): Changing the font color or adding a background shade to cells (shading) helps distinguish headers or calculated cells.
  For example, you might shade all input cells grey so users know where they can type data.

4. Conditional Formatting: Making Cells Smart

Conditional Formatting is a powerful feature that allows the display format of a cell to change automatically based on the value or contents of that cell. It’s like setting up a rule: "IF this condition is met, THEN change the colour/style."

How Conditional Formatting Works

It is primarily used for immediate visual feedback and error checking.

Step-by-step Example: Highlighting Stock Levels

1. Select the range of cells you want to check (e.g., column C, which shows stock quantity).
2. Apply a rule: "If the cell value is less than 10 (low stock), change the cell background to red."
3. Apply a second rule: "If the cell value is greater than or equal to 50 (high stock), change the text to green."

This ensures that key information (like dangerously low stock) automatically stands out without the user having to read every single number.

5. Setting Page Layout for Printing

When you are asked to print your spreadsheet, you must ensure the output is professional, easy to read, and meets all the required specifications.

Orientation and Layout

• Set Orientation: Choose between Portrait (tall and narrow, like a letter) or Landscape (wide and short, like a television screen). You must choose the orientation that fits your data best. Wide tables usually require Landscape.
• Control the Print Area: You may need to define a specific area of cells to be printed, excluding any unnecessary blank space or working-out cells.
• Specified Number of Pages: You may be asked to make the output fit exactly onto one page wide, or a certain number of pages (e.g., "Fit onto 1 page wide by 2 pages tall").

Displaying/Hiding Gridlines and Headings

When printing, you control whether certain structural elements are visible:

• Display or Hide Gridlines: Gridlines are the faint lines separating cells. You often show them if the data isn't formatted with borders, but hide them if you have already applied borders and shading to make the printout look cleaner.
• Display or Hide Row and Column Headings: These are the letters (A, B, C...) and numbers (1, 2, 3...) that identify cells. They are usually hidden for a final professional output, but you might display them if you are asked to print the formulae view, as they help identify which cell a formula belongs to.