Edexcel IGCSE ICT
Spreadsheets
Big idea: a spreadsheet is a self-updating calculator — you build it once using
formulas, functions, and formatting, and from then on it recalculates and re-presents your data
automatically every time something changes.
Summary — Everything In This Chapter
- A formula starts with
= and calculates using numbers and/or cell references — and it recalculates automatically when the referenced data changes.
- Arithmetic operators (
+ − * / ^) are the building blocks of every formula.
- A function is a pre-built, named formula (SUM, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN, INT, ROUND, COUNT, COUNTA, IF, HLOOKUP, VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP) that simplifies complex calculations.
- Functions can pull data from external sources — another worksheet, workbook, or database.
- Nesting means putting one function inside another so its result feeds straight into the outer function.
- Display features let you show formulas vs. values, resize rows/columns, and wrap text.
- Formatting has three jobs: enhancing the look, formatting numeric data (decimals, currency, %), and conditional formatting.
- Page layout covers orientation (portrait/landscape) and controlling how the sheet prints.
1. Formulae
What is a formula?
A formula is a statement that performs a calculation inside a spreadsheet cell. Every single formula
begins with an equals sign (=) — that's the signal that tells the spreadsheet
"don't treat this as text, calculate it."
A formula can work in two different ways:
- Directly with numbers — e.g.
=5*2 just multiplies 5 by 2 and always gives 10, no matter what.
- By referencing cells — e.g.
=A1*B2 multiplies whatever value currently sits in cell A1 by whatever sits in B2.
The core concept
Referencing cells (instead of typing numbers directly) is what makes spreadsheets powerful.
If the value in A1 changes tomorrow, the formula automatically recalculates — you never have
to manually redo the maths. Think of a formula like a recipe: it doesn't say "use 200g of flour,"
it says "use whatever amount is in the flour jar" — so if you top up the jar, the recipe output changes too.
Arithmetic operators
| Symbol | Operation |
|---|
+ | Addition |
- | Subtraction |
* | Multiplication |
/ | Division |
^ | Indices (power of) |
Worked Example
A spreadsheet has exam pass rates in column G (rows 2–8), and you want the total of all pass
rates in cell H2.
Formula: =SUM(G2:G8) or, written manually as a formula rather than a function:
=G2+G3+G4+G5+G6+G7+G8
Both give exactly the same result — the function version is just quicker to type and less error-prone.
Practice Question
Q1. Write a formula that calculates the value in cell A1 raised to the power of the value in cell B1.
Practice Question
Q2. Explain why a formula that references cells (e.g. =A1*B2) is generally better spreadsheet practice than a formula that uses fixed numbers (e.g. =5*2).
2. Functions
What is a function?
A function is a pre-defined formula already built into the spreadsheet software.
Rather than writing out a long chain of + signs to add ten cells together, you just call the
function by its name and tell it which cells to work on. Each function has a specific name that
tells the software exactly what calculation to carry out.
Analogy
could