Know and understand the purpose of setting gutter margins

Document Production – IGCSE ICT (0417)

1. The Document‑Production Workflow

All tasks required for the Paper 2 practical can be grouped into a logical sequence. Follow the steps in order to avoid missing any syllabus requirement.

1. Plan the document – decide page size, orientation, number of pages, binding method and any house‑style rules.
2. Set up the page layout – margins, gutter, columns, line/paragraph spacing, tabs, section & page breaks.
3. Create and apply styles – paragraph and character styles that reflect the chosen house style.
4. Insert content – text, tables, images, lists, and any form fields.
5. Proof and validate – spell‑check, grammar check, data‑validation, visual verification.
6. Finalise – adjust print settings, export (usually to PDF), create the evidence document and back‑up files.

2. Page Layout (Syllabus 13)

2.1 Page Size & Orientation

• Common sizes: A4 (210 mm × 297 mm) or US Letter (8.5 in × 11 in).
• Orientation: Portrait (vertical) or Landscape (horizontal). Choose the one that best suits the content.

2.2 Margins & Gutter

• Top, Bottom, Left, Right margins – define the printable area.
• Gutter margin – extra space added to the inner edge of a page so that text or graphics are not lost in the binding.

Typical Gutter Widths

2.3 Columns & Column Gutter

• Useful for newsletters, brochures or reports with sidebars.
• Typical layout: 2‑column (≈ 50 % each) or 3‑column (≈ 33 % each).
• Set a column gutter (spacing between columns) of 5 mm – 10 mm to keep text readable.

2.4 Section & Page Breaks

• Section break – starts a new formatting section (different headers/footers, column layout, orientation). Use when a chapter needs a different header or when switching from portrait to landscape.
• Page break – forces the next paragraph onto a new page. Use for chapter starts, appendices or when a new page must begin after a heading.

2.5 Line & Paragraph Spacing, Tabs

• Line spacing: Single, 1.5 lines, Double – affects readability and page count.
• Paragraph spacing: Space before/after a paragraph; commonly 6 pt before a heading and 3 pt after body text.
• Tabs: Set custom tab stops (e.g., left‑aligned at 30 mm, centre at 105 mm) for tables of contents, indented lists or aligning numbers.

2.6 Lists

• Bulleted lists – unordered items.
• Numbered lists – ordered steps or hierarchical headings.
• Both can be customised (bullet style, numbering format, indent level) via the Styles pane.

2.7 Pagination (Page Numbers)

• Insert automatic page numbers in the header or footer.
• Common formats: “Page 1 of 5”, “1‑5”, Roman numerals for front matter.
• Use “Different First Page” for a title page and “Different Odd & Even” for book‑style layouts.

3. Setting a Gutter Margin in Common Software

3.1 Microsoft Word (Windows)

1. Open the Layout (or Page Layout) tab.
2. Click Margins ► Custom Margins….
3. In the Page Setup dialog, locate the Gutter field.
4. Enter the required width (e.g., 12 mm).
5. Choose the Gutter position – usually Left for portrait documents (or Top for landscape).
6. Click OK.

3.2 LibreOffice Writer

1. Go to Format ► Page Style….
2. Select the Page tab.
3. In the Margins section, find the Gutter field.
4. Enter the desired gutter width.
5. Set the Gutter position (Left or Top).
6. Press OK.

3.3 Google Docs (Web)

1. File ► Page setup.
2. Click Margins and choose Custom.
3. Enter the left margin value that includes the gutter (e.g., 25 mm for a 12 mm gutter + 13 mm normal margin).
4. Google Docs does not have a separate gutter field; the extra space must be added manually to the inner margin.
5. Click OK.

4. Styles & Formatting (Syllabus 14)

4.1 What Is a Style?

• Paragraph style – controls font, size, colour, line spacing, alignment, indentation and spacing for an entire paragraph (e.g., “Heading 1”, “Body Text”).
• Character style – applies to selected characters within a paragraph (e.g., bold, italics, colour) without changing the paragraph style.
• House / corporate style – a set of predefined styles that give a consistent look across all documents.

4.2 Creating & Modifying Styles – Quick Checklist

1. Open the Styles pane

   • Word: Home ► Styles → click the small arrow at the bottom.
   • LibreOffice: Styles ► Manage Styles (or press F11).
   • Google Docs: Format ► Paragraph styles → Normal text → Update ‘Normal text’ to match or Save as my default styles.

2. Create a new style

   • Click “New Style” (Word) or “New” (LibreOffice) or “Heading 1” → “Apply ‘Heading 1’” → “Options” (Docs).
   • Give it a meaningful name (e.g., “Report Body”).
   • Set font, size, colour, line spacing, indentation, and any paragraph spacing.

3. Save the style to a template – in Word, save as a *.dotx* file; in LibreOffice, save as a *.ott* file; in Docs, the style is saved automatically in the document.
4. Apply the style – place the cursor in the paragraph and click the style name.
5. Modify later – right‑click the style and choose “Modify” (Word) or “Modify” (LibreOffice) to change all text using that style at once.

5. Headers & Footers (Syllabus 15)

• Insert ► Header or Footer – choose a preset or start with a blank one.
• Common automatic fields:

  • Page number (Insert ► Page Number).
  • Document title (Insert ► Quick Parts ► Field ► Title).
  • Date or time (Insert ► Date & Time).

• Different First Page – enable when the title page must not show a header/footer.
• Different Odd & Even Pages – useful for book‑style layouts where the page number appears on the outer edge.
• To edit, double‑click inside the header/footer area, make changes, then click outside to return to the main text.

6. Proofing & Validation (Syllabus 15 – Proofing)

6.1 Spell‑check & Grammar

• Word: Review ► Spelling & Grammar.
• LibreOffice: Tools ► Spelling and Grammar.
• Google Docs: Tools ► Spelling and grammar.

6.2 Find & Replace

• Use Ctrl + H (or Edit ► Find & Replace) to correct repeated mistakes or update terminology across the whole document.

6.3 Data Validation (Tables & Forms)

• Word (tables)

  • Developer ► Legacy Tools ► Drop‑Down Form Field – creates a list of allowed entries.
  • Developer ► Legacy Tools ► Text Form Field – under “Properties” set “Type” to “Number” and define a range (e.g., 1‑100).

• LibreOffice Writer

  • Table ► Cell ► Validation… – choose “Allow” → “Number”, “Date”, “List”, etc., and set minimum/maximum or list entries.

• Google Docs (via Google Sheets)

  • Insert a table, copy it to Google Sheets, use Data ► Data validation to set numeric ranges, list selections or date limits, then paste back.

• Purpose: prevent users from entering invalid data in forms or calculation tables.

6.4 Visual Verification

• Scroll through the whole document to check:

  • Alignment of headings, tables and images.
  • That no text is hidden in the gutter or column gutter.
  • Consistent use of styles and correct page‑numbering.

7. File Management & Export (Syllabus 11‑12)

7.1 Organising Files

• Folder structure – create a main folder for the project, with sub‑folders such as Drafts, Images, Evidence, Export.
• File naming – use a consistent convention, e.g., IGCSE0417ReportV1.docx, IGCSE0417EvidenceV2.pdf.
• Version control – save a new version after each major change (V1, V2, …). Keep a short change‑log in a text file if needed.
• Export to PDF – guarantees that layout, fonts, margins and gutter remain unchanged when printed or submitted.
• Backup – copy the whole project folder to a USB stick or cloud drive before leaving the exam room.
• Compression – if the evidence folder exceeds the size limit, compress it to a .zip file before submission.

8. Images & Graphics (Syllabus 12)

• Insert – Insert ► Picture ► From File / Clipboard / Online.
• Resize – drag corners while holding Shift to keep proportions, or set exact dimensions in the picture properties.
• Crop – Word: Picture Tools ► Crop; LibreOffice: Right‑click ► Picture ► Crop; Docs: double‑click the image ► Crop.
• Rotate – use the rotate handle or the “Rotate” dialog for precise angles.
• Adjust brightness/contrast – Picture Format ► Corrections (Word) or Picture ► Adjust (LibreOffice).
• Wrap style – In line with text, Square, Tight, Behind text, etc., to control text flow.
• Grouping – select multiple objects, then Group (Word: Layout ► Group; LibreOffice: Right‑click ► Group). Ungroup to edit individually.
• File‑size reduction – compress images before inserting (use online compressors or save as JPEG with lower quality). This helps the final PDF stay within the exam size limit.
• Captions – References ► Insert Caption – useful for reports and for the evidence document.

9. Impact of Incorrect Gutter Settings

• Content may be hidden in the binding, making the document look unprofessional.
• Readers must force pages open, risking damage to the document.
• Page numbers, footnotes or captions can become misaligned, causing confusion during assessment.
• In the exam, loss of text in the gutter may lead to marks being deducted for not meeting the layout requirements.

10. Quick Checklist Before Printing

1. Identify the binding method you will use.
2. Choose the appropriate gutter width from the table in Section 2.2.
3. Set page size, orientation, margins and gutter in your word processor.
4. Define columns, column gutter, line/paragraph spacing and any required tabs.
5. Insert headers/footers; enable “Different First Page” and/or “Different Odd & Even” if required.
6. Apply the required paragraph and character styles (use the style checklist in Section 4).
7. Run spell‑check, grammar check, find‑replace and data‑validation.
8. Perform visual verification – especially the inner margin.
9. Print a single‑sided test page and verify that no text lies within the gutter.
10. Adjust any content that is too close to the binding edge.
11. Export the final document as PDF and double‑check the PDF layout.
12. Compress the evidence folder to a .zip file if it exceeds the size limit.

11. Practical Exam Tips (Evidence Document & Screenshots)

• Evidence document – create a separate file (e.g., Evidence_0417.docx) where you paste screenshots of each step required by the exam question.
• Capture a screenshot:

  1. Windows: press PrtScn (full screen) or Windows + Shift + S (select area).
  2. Mac: Shift + Command + 4 and drag to select the required area.
  3. Paste directly into the evidence document (Ctrl + V).
  4. Label each screenshot with a brief description (e.g., “Figure 1 – Custom margin dialog”).

• Include your candidate details (name, centre, candidate number) on the first page of the evidence document.
• When printing, select “Print on both sides (duplex)” only if the question explicitly requires it; otherwise, print single‑sided to avoid mis‑ordering.
• Save the evidence document and the final PDF in the same folder, back‑up both files, and, if necessary, compress the folder before submission.