Be able to apply text enhancement including bold, underline, italic, superscript and subscript, changes in case

Document Production – Text Enhancement (Section 17)

Learning Objective

Students will be able to apply text‑enhancement techniques (bold, italic, underline, superscript, subscript, case changes) and integrate them with the wider document‑production skills required by the Cambridge IGCSE ICT 0417 syllabus (Sections 11‑16).

Why Text Enhancement Matters

• Creates visual hierarchy and improves readability.
• Highlights key information such as headings, definitions, formulas and references.
• Contributes to a professional presentation of reports, letters, assignments and exam‑evidence documents.

Key Syllabus Links (15.1, 11.1, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)

• 11 File Management – saving, naming, compression, folder hierarchy.
• 12 Images – resizing, cropping, colour‑depth, file‑size reduction.
• 13 Layout – tables, headers/footers, pagination, gutter, page‑breaks.
• 14 Styles – corporate house style, hierarchy, character vs paragraph styles.
• 15 Proofing & Validation – spell‑check, grammar‑check, data‑validation, verification.
• 16 Graphs/Charts – basic creation and embedding (briefly covered).

1. Text‑Enhancement Features

1. Bold – makes text darker and heavier.
2. Italic – slants text to the right.
3. Underline – draws a line beneath the text.
4. Superscript – raises characters (e.g., x2).
5. Subscript – lowers characters (e.g., H2O).
6. Case changes – convert between UPPERCASE, lowercase, Title Case and Sentence case.

2. Applying Enhancements Using the Toolbar

In Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer and similar word processors the toolbar contains icons for each feature.

• Select the text you wish to modify.
• Click the appropriate icon:

  • Bold – B icon.
  • Italic – I icon.
  • Underline – U icon.
  • Superscript – x² icon.
  • Subscript – H₂ icon.
  • Case change – Aa or similar icon.

3. Keyboard Shortcuts (Exam‑style Speed)

4. Changing Case – Step‑by‑Step

1. Highlight the text whose case you want to change.
2. Open the Case menu (usually Format → Change Case or via the Aa toolbar icon).
3. Choose one of:

   • UPPERCASE – all letters become capital.
   • lowercase – all letters become small.
   • Title Case – first letter of each word capitalised.
   • Sentence case – first letter of the first word capitalised.

4. Confirm – the text updates instantly.

5. Styles & Formatting Hierarchy (Section 14)

5.1 Why Use Styles?

Styles enforce a corporate house style – a consistent look for headings, sub‑headings and body text. Using paragraph styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, Normal) ensures:

• Automatic numbering and table‑of‑contents generation.
• Uniform font, size, colour and spacing across the whole document.
• Easy global changes – modify the style once and every instance updates.

5.2 Character vs Paragraph Styles

• Paragraph styles control alignment, line spacing, indentation and the overall look of a paragraph.
• Character styles (Bold, Italic, Superscript, Subscript) affect only the selected characters without breaking the paragraph style.

6. Layout Essentials (Section 13)

6.1 Tables

• Insert → Table → Choose rows/columns.
• Merge cells, adjust column width, and apply a table style for a clean layout.
• Use superscript/subscript inside tables for formulas or chemical symbols.
• Apply a heading style to the first row if it contains column headings – this keeps the style hierarchy intact.

6.2 Headers, Footers & Pagination

• Insert → Header/Footer → Choose a preset or create a custom one.
• Typical header: document title (Bold, Heading 1) and student ID.
• Typical footer: your name, exam centre, and automatic page numbers.
• Apply text‑enhancement (e.g., bold heading in the header) consistently.

6.3 Page Layout & Gutter

• Set margins (usually 2 cm) and a gutter for bound documents.
• Insert manual page breaks (Ctrl + Enter) to control where new sections start.

7. File Management (Section 11)

7.1 Saving & Naming Conventions

• Save the working file in the format required by the exam (normally .docx).
• Follow the prescribed folder structure, e.g.: Exam/StudentName/Subject/.
• File‑naming example: 12345678_Document.docx (student ID first).

7.2 File‑format Comparison

7.3 Compression (Section 11.2)

• When the total file size exceeds the exam limit, compress the folder containing all evidence files into a .zip archive.
• Do not use proprietary compression formats (e.g., .rar) unless explicitly allowed.

8. Images – Resizing & File‑Size Reduction (Section 12)

• Insert → Picture → Choose the image file.
• Resize by dragging the corner handles while holding Shift to maintain aspect ratio.
• Crop unnecessary parts using the picture tools (Crop → Drag handles).
• Reduce file size:

  • Lower the resolution (e.g., from 300 dpi to 150 dpi) for screenshots.
  • Decrease colour depth (24‑bit to 8‑bit) for simple graphics.
  • Use the “Compress Pictures” option and choose “Web/Screen” quality.

• Always add alternative text (Alt‑text) describing the image for accessibility.

9. Proof‑reading & Validation (Section 15)

9.1 Spell‑check & Grammar‑check

• Run Spell‑check (F7) and Grammar‑check (Shift + F7) before finalising the evidence document.
• Add subject‑specific terms (e.g., “photosynthesis”) to the custom dictionary.

9.2 Data Validation (Tables)

• Select the cells to validate → Data → Validation.
• Set criteria such as “Whole number between 0 and 100” for a marks sheet.
• Provide an input message (e.g., “Enter a score out of 100”) and an error alert (e.g., “Score must be 0‑100”).

9.3 Verification Techniques

• Cross‑check totals and formulas manually.
• Use the “Track Changes” feature to record any last‑minute edits (if allowed).
• Take screenshots of each major step for the evidence file.

10. Graphs & Charts (Section 16 – brief)

• Insert → Chart → Choose a simple column or line chart.
• Enter data directly or copy from a table.
• Apply a chart style that matches the document’s corporate colour scheme.
• Resize and position the chart, then add a concise caption using Italic text.

11. Practical Exam Tip Box

12. Practical Activity

Create a short report (150‑200 words) on a topic of your choice. Apply the formatting exactly as described. Save the file as StudentID_Report.docx and be ready to show the evidence screenshots.

• Bold the main heading.
• Italicise any foreign‑language terms.
• Underline the key conclusion.
• Insert a superscript for a footnote reference (e.g., “see note¹”).
• Insert a subscript for a chemical formula (e.g., CO2).
• Convert the paragraph that lists the report’s objectives to UPPERCASE.
• Use a Heading 1 style for the title and a Heading 2 style for the objectives heading.
• Insert a simple 2 × 3 table to display any data you wish to include.
• Add a footer with your name and automatic page numbering.
• Resize any inserted image to ≤ 150 KB and add appropriate alt‑text.
• Apply data validation to a numeric column in the table (0‑100).

13. Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Formatting invisible spaces – always select visible characters.
• Mixing superscript and subscript unintentionally within the same word.
• Applying case changes to styled headings – this can break the heading hierarchy.
• Relying solely on the toolbar; master shortcuts for speed and exam efficiency.
• Forgetting to run spell‑check, verify validation rules, and save the final file in the required format.
• Saving images at a resolution higher than necessary, which inflates file size.
• Neglecting to compress the final folder when the total size exceeds the exam limit.

14. Summary

Mastering text‑enhancement tools, together with styles, tables, images, headers/footers, proof‑reading, validation, and proper file management, enables you to produce clear, professional documents that meet all IGCSE ICT 0417 requirements. Use the toolbar for visual guidance, shortcuts for speed, and always follow the exam workflow to ensure your evidence document is accepted.