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Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE ICT Your notes

Create a Data Model

Contents
Create & Edit a Spreadsheet
Formulae & Functions
Order of Operations
Cell Referencing
Present Data
Search & Select Data

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Create & Edit a Spreadsheet

Your notes
Create and edit a spreadsheet
What is a spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet is a piece of software used to analyse, visualise and manipulate data
A spreadsheet is made up of cells, rows and columns
A cell is one box on the spreadsheet and is referenced using its cell reference (e.g. A1)
A row goes across and is referenced using the number down the side
A column goes down and is referenced using the letter at the top

Inserting and deleting cells, rows, and columns

You can alter the structure of a spreadsheet by inserting or deleting cells, rows, and columns
This flexibility allows you to manage and organise your data effectively

Merging cells
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Merging cells combines two or more cells into one larger cell
This is useful for creating headers or titles that span across multiple columns Your notes

Creating formulae using cell references

Formulae allow you to perform calculations on your data
You can reference specific cells in your formulae to make them dynamic and adaptable

Replicating formulae using absolute and relative cell references

Absolute cell references ($A$1) stay constant, while relative cell references (A1) change when you copy
or drag a formula

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Your notes

Use absolute references when you want the same cell referenced and use relative references when
you want the reference to change

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Your notes

Use of arithmetic operators in formulae

Arithmetic operators allow you to perform basic mathematical operations in your formulae: add (+),
subtract (-), multiply (*), divide (/), and indices (^)
More information about formulae can be found on the formulae revision note

Using named cells and named ranges

Named cells:
Easily refer to a group of adjoining cells

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Shortens/simplifies formulae
Enables referring to a group of cells without having to lookup cell references Your notes
Don’t have to re-set the absolute referencing manually

WORKED EXAMPLE
Tawara school has a shop that sells items needed by pupils in school. Part of a spreadsheet with
details of the items is shown.

a. Write down the number of rows that are shown in the spreadsheet that contain text.
[1]
6 rows [1]
b. Write down the number of columns that are shown in the spreadsheet that contain text.
[1]

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8 columns [1]

Your notes
EXAM TIP
Make sure you know which way round rows and columns are - rows go across and columns go
down

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Formulae & Functions

Your notes
Formulae
What is a formula?
A formula is a statement that performs simple calculations in a spreadsheet
Formulas start with a = sign
A formula can perform calculations using:
Numbers directly (e.g. =5*2)
Referenced data held in cells (e.g. =A1*B2)
Changing data in a cell that is being referenced in a formula will cause the formula to automatically
recalculate based on the new value
This is a core concept of spreadsheet modelling

Adding simple formulas to a spreadsheet

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Arithmetic operators
Formulas will make use of basis arithmetic operators Your notes

Symbol Operation

+ Addition

- Subtraction

* Multiplication

/ Division

^ Indices (power of)

Functions
What is a function?
A function is a pre-defined formula that can be used to carry out more complex calculations
Functions are built into spreadsheet software
Functions can help to simplify complex calculations
Each function has a specific name that tells the software what calculation is being carried out

Adding functions to a spreadsheet

Function Operation

SUM Adds all the numbers in a range of cells

=SUM(A1:A10)

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AVERAGE Calculates the average of a range of cells

=AVERAGE(A1:A10) Your notes

MAX and MIN Finds the largest and smallest numbers in a range respectively
=MAX(A1:A10)
=MIN(A1:A10)

INT Rounds a number down to the nearest integer

=INT(A1)

ROUND Rounds a number to a specified number of digits

=ROUND(A1,2) - round to 2 decimal places

COUNT Counts the number of cells in a range that contain numbers

=COUNT(A1:A10)

COUNTA Counts the number of cells in a range that contain numbers and/or labels
=COUNTA(A1:A10)

IF Returns one value if a condition is true and another if it's false

=IF(condition, true, false)
=IF(A1 ="SME",100,B7*3)

HLOOKUP Performs a horizontal look up of data

=HLOOKUP('Bananas', A2:D4, 3)

VLOOKUP Performs a vertical look up of data

=VLOOKUP(100, A2:D4, 2, TRUE)

XLOOKUP Performs either a horizontal or vertical look up of data

=XLOOKUP('Oranges', A1:A4, Sales Q3, "Not found")

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Your notes

Average, Max, Min & Int in a spreadsheet

Using external data sources within functions

Spreadsheets allow you to use external data sources within functions
This could be data from another worksheet, workbook, or even a database

Using nested functions

Nesting is using a function within another function
For example:
=IF(A1>B1, MAX(A1:B1), MIN(A1:B1))
This checks if A1 is greater than B1, and if true, it returns the max value, else it returns the min
value

WORKED EXAMPLE
awara school has a shop that sells items needed by pupils in school. Part of a spreadsheet with
details of the items is shown.

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Tax is paid on certain items sold in the shop. The tax rate that has to be paid is 20% of the selling
price. If tax is to be paid on an item, then ‘Y’ is placed underneath the Tax heading.
Your notes
The formula in I4 is: IF(F4=''Y'',($I$1*D4*G4),'''')
Explain, in detail, what the formula does.
[5]
Answer
Five of:
If Tax is payable then//If F4 is equal to "Y" then [1]
If true the tax is paid [1]
Multiply the rate of tax/I1 [1]
By the selling price/D4 [1]
By the amount sold/G4 [1]
If Tax is not payable//If F4 <>"Y"//Else//Otherwise [1]
Then display a blank [1]
The tax is not paid [1]

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Order of Operations
Your notes
Order of Operations
What is the order of operations?
The order of operations is what determines the sequence in which calculations are performed within a
formula
The order of operations ensures the calculation is completed correctly
A spreadsheet performs all calculations using a mathematical order of operations known as BIDMAS

B Brackets first

I Indices (power of and square root etc.)

DM Division and Multiplication (left to right)

AS Addition and Subtraction (left to right)

CASE STUDY
Consider the following example spreadsheet:

A B C

1 10 20

2 5 15

3 =20*2

If you input the formula "=A1+B3" in cell C1, the result will be 50, because B3 is calculated first
(20*2=40), and then A1 is added (10+40=50)
If you input the formula "=(A1+B1)*2" in cell C2, the result will be 60, because A1+B1 is calculated
first (10+20=30), and then the result is multiplied by 2 (30*2=60)

EXAM TIP

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It's always a good idea to use brackets to make sure that your formulae work as expected, even if
they might not be necessary
Your notes
It makes the formula easier to read and understand
It can prevent errors if the formula is edited in the future

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Cell Referencing
Your notes
Relative
What is an relative cell reference?
A relative cell reference means that when a formula is copied the cell reference can change
The reference is relative to the cell containing the formula
It is the default cell referencing used in spreadsheets
Example
Consider the following example spreadsheet:

A B C

1 10 20

2 5 15

When you copy a formula that includes a relative cell reference, spreadsheet software adjusts the
reference relative to the new location
For example, if you copy the formula "=A1+B1" from cell C1 to C2, the formula will adjust to "=A2+B2"

What are the benefits of relative cell references?

Relative cell references saves time by automatically adjusting references when being copied,
improving efficiency
Relative cell references are flexible and allow users to create formulas that can be used on a range of
data

Absolute
What is an absolute cell reference?
An absolute cell reference means that when a formula is copied the cell reference does not change
Absolute cell references are fixed using the $ symbol
Example

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Consider the following example spreadsheet:

A B C Your notes

1 10 20

2 5 15

If you input the formula "=A1+B1" in cell C1 and drag the fill handle down to copy the formula to cell C2,
the formula in C2 will change to "=A2+B2"
But if you input the formula "=$A$1+B1" in cell C1 and drag the fill handle down, the formula in C2 will still
refer to cell A1: "=$A$1+B2"

What are the benefits of absolute cell references?

Absolute cell reference provide consistency in a spreadsheet, for example:
Calculations using a tax rate (fixed) that you want consistently applied across the spreadsheet
Absolute cell references provide clarity in formulas, they become easier to understand

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Present Data
Your notes
Display Features
What are the display features of a spreadsheet?
Display features of a spreadsheet include:
Displaying either formulas or values
Adjusting height and width of rows/columns
Wrapping text

Adjusting basic display features in a spreadsheet

Formatting
How can you format a spreadsheet?
Formatting a spreadsheet can be split in to three parts:
Enhancing the look
Formatting numeric data
Using conditional formatting

Enhancing the look

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To enhance the look of a spreadsheet it involves changing:

Text colour Your notes
Cell colour
Cell emphasis (Bold, italic, underline etc.)

Formatting a spreadsheet

Formatting numeric data

Formatting numeric data includes:
Adjusting number of decimal places
Using different currency symbols as appropriate
Dealing with percentages

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Your notes

Formatting data in a spreadsheet

Using conditional formatting

Conditional formatting means dynamically changing the format of a cell based on it's contents

Using conditional formatting in a spreadsheet

Page Layout
How can you set the page layout of a spreadsheet?
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Changing the page layout of a spreadsheet includes:

Changing orientation (portrait/landscape) Your notes
Controlling the print layout

Changing orientation

Changing the page orientation in a spreadsheet

Controlling print layout

Changing the page setup in a spreadsheet

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Search & Select Data

Your notes
Search & Select Data in Spreadsheets
What is data selection?
Data selection allows you to focus on a specific subset of your data based on certain criteria
This is useful for analysing parts of a larger dataset
You can select data using a single criterion or multiple criteria

Searching for data

Specific data in spreadsheets can found by using various operators, these include:
AND
OR
NOT
Greater than >
Less than <
Equal to =
Greater than or equal to >=
Less than or equal to<=
Not equal to <>
For example, you might search for all students who scored above 85 (>) AND are in Year 11

Wildcards
wildcards can be used when you're unsure of the exact data you're looking for
The most common wildcards are the asterisk (*) and the question mark (?)
An asterisk represents any number of characters
For example, "A*" would find "Alex", "Aaron", etc.
A question mark represents a single character
For example, "A?e" would find "Abe", but not "Alex"

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Consider the following example spreadsheet:

A B C Your notes

1 Name Mark Year

2 Alex 85 11

3 Ben 90 12

4 Chloe 80 11

5 Dave 88 12

6 Eve 82 11

To select all students in Year 11, you could use the criterion "Year = 11"
To search for students who are in Year 11 AND scored above 85, you could use the criteria "Year = 11" AND
"Grade > 85"

EXAM TIP
Remember that you can use operators and wildcards in your searches to find data more efficiently.
Wildcards are especially useful when you're unsure of the exact value you're looking for.

Sorting data in a spreadsheet

Why do we need to sort data in a spreadsheet?
Sorting data is a powerful feature in spreadsheets
It arranges your data based on specific criteria
You can sort in ascending or descending order
You can sort data using a single criterion
For example, you could sort a list of names alphabetically
In Excel, select the column you want to sort and then choose 'Sort A to Z' for ascending order or 'Sort Z
to A' for descending order

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Your notes

You can also sort data using multiple criteria

For example, you could sort a list of students first by grade, and then alphabetically by name within
each grade
In Excel, select your data and then choose 'Sort'. Add levels for each of your criteria
Consider the following example spreadsheet:

A B

1 Name Age

2 Alex 15

3 Ben 17

4 Alex 16

If you sort by 'Name' (A to Z), the spreadsheet might look like this:

A B

1 Name Age

2 Alex 16

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3 Alex 15
Your notes
4 Ben 17

If you sort by 'Name' (A to Z) and then 'Age' (Smallest to Largest), the spreadsheet would look like this:

A B

1 Name Age

2 Alex 15

3 Alex 16

4 Ben 17

EXAM TIP
Be sure to select all relevant columns before sorting, especially when dealing with multiple
criteria. Failure to do so may result in misalignment of your data!

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