Be able to apply spacing including paragraph (before and after) and line

Topic 14 – Styles (Cambridge IGCSE 0417 ICT)

Learning Objective

Be able to create, modify and apply styles that control font, character, paragraph and table attributes, including alignment, indentation, line‑spacing, paragraph‑spacing, bullets/numbering, borders, shading and hyperlink formatting. Understand how a corporate house style promotes consistency across an entire document and how to evaluate the effect of style changes.

1. What Is a Style?

A style is a reusable collection of formatting instructions that can be applied to text, paragraphs, tables, headings, captions, list items or hyperlinks. A style may contain:

• Font family, size, colour, bold/italic/underline/strikethrough
• Character spacing (expanded/condensed)
• Paragraph alignment (left, centre, right, justified)
• Indentation (first‑line, hanging, left/right)
• Line spacing and paragraph spacing (Space Before & Space After)
• Bullets, numbering and multilevel list definitions
• Table formatting – borders, shading, header‑row style, banded rows
• Hyperlink colour and underline style
• Based‑on relationship to another style (inheritance)

2. Why Use Styles? – Corporate House Style

• Consistency: All headings, body text, tables and lists share the same appearance.
• Speed: One click applies a complete set of formatting.
• Control: Changing a single style updates every occurrence instantly – essential for the AO3 requirement to analyse the effect of changing a style on a whole document.
• Corporate (or school) house style: A pre‑defined collection of styles reflecting an organisation’s branding (logo colour, preferred fonts, spacing).
  • Example: A company’s house style may dictate Heading 1 as Arial 14 pt, bold, corporate blue, with 12 pt Space Before and 6 pt Space After; body text as Times New Roman 12 pt, 1.5‑line spacing, 6 pt Space After.
  • Implementation: Save the set as a .dotx template (File ► Save As ► Word Template). Import it into new documents via Design ► Themes ► Browse for Themes.

3. Creating a New Style

1. Open the Styles pane (Home ► Styles group).
2. Click New Style (or right‑click an existing style ► Modify to duplicate).
3. Give the style a meaningful name (e.g., Heading 1, Report Body, Table Standard).
4. In the Modify Style dialog choose the Format dropdown to set:
   • Font – family, size, colour, effects.
   • Paragraph – alignment, indentation, Space Before, Space After, line spacing.
   • Numbering/Bullets – if the style is for a list.
   • Table – borders, shading, header row (available when “Table” is chosen as the style type).
   • Based on – select an existing style to inherit its attributes.
5. Click OK to store the style in the document’s style gallery.

4. Modifying an Existing Style

1. In the Styles pane, right‑click the style name and choose Modify….
2. Make the required changes on the appropriate tab (Font, Paragraph, Numbering, Table, etc.).
3. Check New documents based on this template if you want the change to be saved in the template.
4. Click OK. All text using that style updates automatically.

5. Style Hierarchy & Inheritance

• Based‑on: A style can be created “Based on” another style, inheriting all its attributes unless explicitly overridden.
• Character vs. Paragraph formatting: Character formatting (e.g., bold, colour) applied directly to a selection overrides the style’s character settings, but does not affect paragraph spacing or alignment.
• Understanding inheritance helps you analyse why a change to a parent style (e.g., Heading 1) also alters a child style (e.g., Heading 2).

6. Font & Character Formatting (Style Dialog – Font Tab)

7. Paragraph Formatting (Style Dialog – Paragraph Tab)

8. Line‑Spacing Requirements for the IGCSE

• Most essay questions explicitly require Double (2.0) line spacing. Failure to use double spacing can cost marks.
• General reports and business letters normally use 1.5‑line spacing for readability.
• Footnotes, tables and figure captions often use Single spacing to conserve space.

9. Bullets, Numbering & Multilevel List Styles

1. Select a paragraph that already has the desired bullet or number format.
2. Open the Styles pane ► New Style.
3. In the Format dropdown choose Numbering or Bullets.
   • Set the symbol, start number, and Level (1‑9) for multilevel lists.
   • Adjust the indent for each level under “Indent at”.
4. Name the style (e.g., Bullet List Level 1, Numbered List Level 2) and click OK.
5. Apply the style by placing the cursor in any paragraph and clicking the list‑style name.

10. Table Styles – Creating a Custom Table Style

1. Insert a table (Insert ► Table) and format it the way you want – set borders, shading, header‑row colour, banded rows, etc.
2. With the table selected, open the Styles pane ► New Style.
3. In the Style type dropdown choose Table.
4. Give the style a name (e.g., Table Standard).
5. Use the Format ► Borders and Shading and Format ► Paragraph tabs to fine‑tune:
   • Border weight (e.g., 0.75 pt)
   • Cell shading (e.g., light grey for header row)
   • Cell margin (e.g., 0.2 cm)
   • Paragraph alignment inside cells (centre for headings)
6. Click OK. Apply the style to any table by clicking anywhere inside the table and selecting the style name.

11. Applying Styles Efficiently

• Paragraphs & headings: Click inside the paragraph, then choose the style from the Styles gallery.
• Whole document: Press Ctrl+A (Select All) and then click the desired style – useful for quickly applying a corporate body‑text style.
• Tables: Click inside the table → Styles pane → choose a table style.
• Captions / Figure titles: Apply the built‑in “Caption” style or a customised caption style.
• Lists: Place the cursor in the list paragraph → select the appropriate bullet/numbering style.

12. Updating a Style – Automatic Document Change (AO3)

Because a style is a single definition, any modification is reflected everywhere the style is used.

1. Right‑click Report Body in the Styles pane ► Modify….
2. Change Space After from 6 pt to 8 pt.
3. Click OK. Every paragraph formatted with Report Body now shows 8 pt space after.

Evaluation tip: Compare the document before and after the change. Note how the extra space improves visual separation of paragraphs and reduces the need for manual Enter presses – a clear advantage of using styles.

13. Saving & Sharing Styles (Templates)

1. After creating all required styles, go to File ► Save As.
2. Choose “Word Template (*.dotx)” as the file type and give it a name (e.g., CompanyHouseStyle.dotx).
3. To use the template in a new document: File ► New ► Personal ► select the template.
4. To import styles from an existing document: Open the document, go to Design ► Themes ► Browse for Themes, or use the “Organizer” (Home ► Styles ► Manage Styles ► Import/Export).

14. Practical Example – Creating a “Report Body” Style

1. Open the Styles pane ► New Style.
2. Name: Report Body.
3. Format ► Font:
   • Family: Times New Roman
   • Size: 12 pt
   • Colour: Automatic (black)
   • Bold/Italic/Underline: none
4. Format ► Paragraph:
   • Alignment: Left
   • First‑line indent: 0.5 cm
   • Space Before: 6 pt
   • Space After: 6 pt
   • Line spacing: 1.5 lines
5. Click OK. Apply Report Body to any paragraph to obtain the exact spacing and font settings required for most IGCSE reports.

15. Key Points to Remember

• Styles combine font, character, paragraph, line‑spacing, list and table attributes.
• Paragraph spacing (Space Before/After) separates blocks of text; line spacing controls the distance between lines within a block.
• Changing a style updates every occurrence instantly – a powerful tool for consistency and for AO3 analysis.
• A corporate house style is a pre‑defined set of styles saved as a .dotx template; importing it ensures uniform branding across all documents.
• Remember the exam‑specific requirements:
  • Double line spacing for formal essays.
  • 6 pt Space After for body paragraphs (common in IGCSE specifications).
  • Specific heading colours or fonts as dictated by the question.
• Use Ctrl+A to apply a style to the whole document quickly.
• Save your style set as a template to reuse it in future assignments or exams.

16. Self‑Check Questions

1. Explain the difference between Space Before and Line Spacing. Provide an example of when each is appropriate.
2. List the step‑by‑step process for modifying an existing style so that it adds 8 pt Space After to every paragraph that uses the style.
3. Which line‑spacing option would you select for a formal essay and why?
4. How does using a corporate house style save time when formatting a long document? Illustrate with a brief scenario (e.g., updating heading colour across a 30‑page report).
5. Identify three font attributes that can be controlled through a style and describe how you would set them for a “Heading 2” style (include colour, size, and emphasis).