Cambridge IGCSE ICT (0417): Document production – Study Guide

Document production is the word-processing and desktop-publishing part of Cambridge IGCSE ICT. It is tested in a practical examination, so the marks go to what you actually do to a file: whether the margins are what the task asked for, whether every heading looks identical, and whether the page numbers sit where they were told to. This guide explains each skill, works through a typical set of instructions and lists the slips that cost the most marks.

Where this fits in the specification

Topic 17 is one of the practical application topics, alongside databases, presentations, spreadsheets and website authoring. A document task usually gives you a source file or some text and a list of instructions, and then asks for printouts or a saved file showing the result. The examiner checks each instruction one by one, so your job is to follow the wording exactly, leave no instruction half done and keep the finished document consistent from the first page to the last.

Organise page layout

Page layout means the settings that apply to the whole page or section rather than to a single word.

• Page size and orientation. Orientation is portrait (taller than wide) or landscape (wider than tall). Paper size is normally A4. Set both before typing, because changing them late can move tables and images.
• Margins. The margin is the blank space between the text and the edge of the paper. Set the top, bottom, left and right margins to the values given. Instructions are often in centimetres, so check your software is not working in inches.
• Columns. Newsletter-style text is set in two or more columns. A heading spanning the page above a two-column article needs a continuous section break so that only the article is in columns.
• Headers and footers. These areas in the top and bottom margins repeat on every page and hold things such as the page number, file name, date or author name.
• Tabs and tables. Use tab stops or a table to line things up, never repeated spaces.
• Images and text wrapping. When an image is inserted, you may be told its size, its position and how text flows around it. Keep the aspect ratio locked unless told to stretch it, otherwise the picture is distorted. Text wrapping options include square, tight and top and bottom; check the instruction for which is expected.

Format text

Formatting is how text looks. The ideas to know are:

• Font face and size, for example a serif face such as Times New Roman for body text and a sans-serif face such as Arial for headings. Size is measured in points.
• Emphasis: bold, italic and underline.
• Alignment: left, right, centred and justified (lined up with both margins).
• Line spacing and paragraph spacing, which control the space between lines and before and after paragraphs.
• Indents: a first-line indent or a hanging indent, set with the ruler or the paragraph dialogue, not with the tab key.
• Bullets and numbering: bullets for items in no set order, numbers for steps or ranked items.
• Styles: a style is a saved set of formatting that you apply by name. Defining a heading style once and applying it to every heading is far safer than formatting each heading by hand, because all headings are guaranteed to match and a later change can be made in one place.
• Consistency: every heading at a level should share the same font, size, colour and spacing, and body text should be the same throughout. Examiners look for this deliberately.

A related skill is proofreading. A spell-check will not catch a correctly spelt wrong word, such as “form” for “from”, so compare your output with the source and look for double spaces, stray blank lines and inconsistent capitals.

Find and replace text

Find and replace searches the document for a word or phrase and swaps it for another. It is quicker and more reliable than editing by eye.

• Find locates every occurrence, which is useful for checking that a name appears the way the instructions say.
• Replace changes one occurrence; Replace all changes every occurrence at once.
• Match case makes the search case-sensitive, so “Park” is not matched by “park”.
• Find whole words only stops a search for “art” from matching inside “party” and “start”.

The danger is Replace all without thinking: replacing “it” with whole-word matching off damages words such as “with” and “little”. Scan the result afterwards.

Navigation

Navigation means moving around a long document quickly and helping readers do the same.

• Headings and the navigation pane let you jump to any section when headings use proper heading styles. This is another reason to use styles rather than manual formatting.
• Bookmarks mark a place in the document that you can return to or link to.
• Hyperlinks connect text to a bookmark, another file or a web page. An internal link takes the reader to a section of the same document.
• Tables of contents list headings with their page numbers and can be generated automatically from heading styles, then updated after any change.

Pagination

Pagination is the process of dividing a document into pages and controlling where they break.

• Page numbers are inserted in the header or footer so that the number updates automatically. Position (for example bottom right) and format (1, 2, 3 or i, ii, iii) are set from the page-number dialogue.
• Page breaks force the following text to start on a new page. A manual page break is better than a stack of blank lines, which will move when text is edited.
• Section breaks allow different settings in different parts, for example a cover page with no number followed by numbered pages.
• Widows and orphans are single lines stranded alone at the top or bottom of a page. Most software has a setting to prevent them, and keep with next stops a heading being left alone at the bottom of a page.

Gutter margin

The gutter margin is extra space added on the inside edge of the page, where pages will be bound, so that text is not lost in the binding. It is added on top of the normal margin. If you are asked for a left margin of 2.5 cm and a gutter of 1 cm, the text starts 3.5 cm from the left edge on a single-sided page. In a document with mirrored margins (for booklets and double-sided printing), the gutter is on the left of right-hand pages and the right of left-hand pages, and the outer margins are the ones that swap.

Worked example: setting up a document

Suppose a task says: A4 portrait, left margin 3 cm with a 1 cm gutter, other margins 2 cm, heading in Arial 18 point bold centred, body in Times New Roman 11 point justified, page number at bottom right of every page, and replace every “Greenfield Hall” with “Greenfield Centre”.

1. Open Page Setup and set the paper to A4 and the orientation to portrait.
2. Set top, bottom and right margins to 2 cm and left to 3 cm, then set the gutter to 1 cm with the position on the left. The text block now starts 3 + 1 = 4 cm from the left edge. Its width is 21 - 4 - 2 = 15 cm, because A4 is 21 cm wide.
3. Define a heading style (Arial, 18, bold, centred) and apply it to every heading. Define the body style (Times New Roman, 11, justified) and apply it to the text.
4. Insert the page number in the footer, aligned right, using the automatic page-number field.
5. Use Find and Replace with match case on, search “Greenfield Hall”, replace with “Greenfield Centre”, and press Replace all. Then use Find to search for “Hall” and confirm that nothing remains where it should not.
6. Proofread, then print or save as instructed, adding your details in the header or footer if the paper asks.

Common mistakes

• Setting the gutter margin and forgetting to enter the normal margin, or adding the two together incorrectly.
• Using the space bar or Enter key to position text instead of tabs, indents and spacing settings.
• Typing page numbers by hand instead of inserting an automatic field.
• Direct formatting of headings with small differences in size or spacing.
• Replace all without matching case or whole words, damaging other words.

Exam technique

Command words in the practical paper are mostly instructions: insert, set, apply, align, replace, print. For the written paper, questions may ask you to describe or explain a feature, for example why a header is better than typing the same text on every page. Tick off each instruction as you go, save often with the file name given and check the headers, footers and page numbers before you submit.

Check your understanding

1. What is the difference between a header and a margin? A margin is empty space around the text; a header sits in the top margin area and repeats content on every page.
2. A document has a 2 cm left margin and a 1.5 cm gutter on a single-sided A4 page. How far from the left edge does the text start? 3.5 cm.
3. Why use heading styles rather than formatting each heading by hand? All headings match, changes are made in one place, and the navigation pane and contents table can use them.
4. Give one risk of using Replace all without whole-word matching. It may change letters inside other words, such as replacing “art” within “start”.
5. What is an orphan or widow, and how do you avoid it? A single line of a paragraph stranded at the bottom or top of a page; use the widow and orphan control setting.
6. When would you use a section break instead of a page break? When parts of the document need different settings, such as columns, orientation or page numbering.
7. Why is typing the page number by hand a mistake? It would repeat the same number on every page; an automatic field updates on each page.

Frequently asked questions

Why use styles for headings in a word-processed document? A style is a saved set of formatting applied by name, so every heading at that level matches and a change can be made in one place. In the Cambridge IGCSE ICT (0417) practical, examiners check deliberately for consistent headings.

Why should page numbers not be typed by hand? A typed number would show the same value on every page, so use an automatic page number field in the header or footer, which updates on each page.

What is the risk of using Replace all? Replace all without whole-word matching can change letters inside other words, for example replacing “art” inside “start”. Use match case and whole-word options where needed and scan the result afterwards.

When should you use a section break instead of a page break? Use a section break when parts of a document need different settings, such as columns, orientation or page numbering. A page break only starts a new page.