IGCSE ICT: Styles — Revision Notes

A style is a named set of formatting — font, size, colour, alignment, enhancement, spacing and bullets — that is saved once and applied to text so every similar item looks the same. Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 Topic 14 expects you to create, modify, update and apply styles to ensure consistency, and to explain the purpose and uses of a corporate house style. Styles are tested practically in Papers 2 and 3 and the house style idea can appear in Paper 1.

Condensed for revision. For the full explanation, use the styles study guide, then try the styles practice questions.

Syllabus coverage

Topic 14 has no numbered subtopics; the syllabus gives two content rows.

Syllabus content row	You should be able to / know
Create, edit and apply styles	Create, modify, update and apply styles to ensure consistency of presentation, covering: font (font face, type serif or sans-serif, point size, colour); text alignment (left, right, centre, fully justified); text enhancement (bold, underline, italic); spacing (paragraph before and after, and line); bullets (shape, alignment, line spacing and indent)
Corporate house style	Purpose and uses of a corporate house style

Key definitions

Term	Meaning
Style	A saved, named set of formatting that can be applied in one step
Font face	The typeface, for example Arial or Times New Roman
Serif font	Has small strokes (serifs) at the ends of letters, for example Times New Roman
Sans-serif font	Has no serifs, for example Arial; often easier to read on screen
Point size	Size of text; 72 points is about 1 inch
Fully justified	Text lines up with both the left and right margins
Paragraph spacing	Space before and after a paragraph, set in points
Line spacing	Space between lines within a paragraph (single, 1.5, double)
Corporate house style	An organisation’s agreed rules for the look of all its documents

What can a style control?

Category	Settings in the syllabus
Font	Font face; type (serif / sans-serif); point size; colour
Text alignment	Left, right, centre, fully justified
Text enhancement	Bold, underline, italic
Spacing	Paragraph spacing before and after; line spacing
Bullets	Bullet shape; alignment; line spacing; indent

How do you create, modify, update and apply a style?

• Create: make a new style, give it a meaningful name (for example Heading, Body, Bullet list) and set every attribute the task lists.
• Apply: select the text or paragraph and choose the style; repeat for every similar item.
• Modify: change the style’s definition (for example, change the heading colour) — every paragraph using it changes at once.
• Update: change the formatting of one example and update the style to match that example, so all others follow.

Worked example: building a set of styles

A task specifies:

Style name	Settings
CompanyTitle	Sans-serif, 24 pt, bold, centred, dark blue, 12 pt after
CompanySubhead	Sans-serif, 16 pt, italic, left aligned, 6 pt before and 6 pt after
CompanyBody	Serif, 11 pt, fully justified, single line spacing, 0 pt before, 6 pt after
CompanyBullet	Based on CompanyBody, square bullets, indented 1 cm, left aligned

Check against the instruction: each attribute present (font type, size, enhancement, alignment, spacing), the style applied to every matching paragraph and no other paragraph formatted by hand. If the task later says “change CompanyBody to 12 pt”, modify the style once rather than reformatting each paragraph.

Why use styles instead of formatting by hand?

• Consistency: every heading or paragraph of the same type looks identical.
• Speed: formatting is applied in one click and changes in one place.
• Fewer errors: no paragraph is forgotten or formatted slightly differently.
• Structure: heading styles can be used to build navigation features and contents lists.

What is a corporate house style and why is it used?

A corporate house style is a set of rules an organisation uses on all its documents, presentations and web pages: fonts, colours, logo position, layout and styles.

Purposes and uses:

• Gives a consistent, recognisable brand image, so customers recognise the organisation’s documents.
• Looks professional and builds trust.
• Saves time: staff use ready-made templates and styles instead of designing each document.
• Documents produced by different staff still look the same.
• Reduces the chance of errors in presentation.

Common mistakes and exam traps

• Creating a style but forgetting one attribute in the instruction (for example the spacing after, or the bullet indent).
• Formatting text by hand instead of applying the style; the result may look right but is not consistent.
• Mixing serif and sans-serif against the instruction — know which fonts are which.
• Confusing paragraph spacing (before/after) with line spacing (within the paragraph).
• Describing house style only as “the same font”. It covers colours, logos, layout and styles across all documents.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between serif and sans-serif fonts? Serif fonts have small decorative strokes at the ends of the letters, like Times New Roman. Sans-serif fonts have no strokes, like Arial, and are often used for headings and screen text.

Why do organisations use a corporate house style? It gives all their documents a consistent, professional and recognisable look, whoever produces them. It also saves time because staff reuse templates and styles.

What happens when you modify a style? Every piece of text that uses the style changes at once to the new settings. This is why styles are faster and more consistent than formatting by hand.

Can a bullet list be a style? Yes. The 0417 syllabus lists bullet shape, alignment, line spacing and indent as style settings.

Self-test

1. Name two attributes of a font that a style can set.
2. Give the four text alignments in the syllabus.
3. Distinguish between paragraph spacing and line spacing.
4. State two purposes of a corporate house style.
5. Explain one advantage of modifying a style rather than reformatting text.

Answers: 1 any two of face, type, point size, colour; 2 left, right, centre, fully justified; 3 paragraph spacing is the space before or after a paragraph, line spacing is the space between lines within it; 4 consistent brand image, professional look, saves time, consistency between staff; 5 all text using the style updates at once, so it is quicker and consistent.

Official syllabus

Cambridge International, Cambridge IGCSE Information and Communication Technology (0417) syllabus for 2026, 2027 and 2028, Version 3, Topic 14 “Styles” (content rows: Create, edit and apply styles; Corporate house style).