the bcs skills exam is 1 hour that hour will go quickly so it’s ... · the bcs skills exam is 1...

The BCS skills exam is

1 hour

That hour will go quickly so it’s important to prepare yourself! The points in this booklet are based on the spec and what’s come up before on a skills paper - but the exam board may create new questions that we haven’t seen before but they won’t be anything you can’t do.

General points: ☺ Read the scenario – it will probably have information that you will need

in some of the tasks such as a person’s name, job title

☺ Do a check of the whole paper before you start – so you have an idea of how to pace yourself

☺ Stick to 30 minutes per section

☺ Read the questions carefully – if it asks for 1 page and you do 2 you’ll lose marks (seriously!)

☺ No abbreviations – don’t, can’t, won’t

☺ Read your work – check it makes sense, check your spelling

☺ If you are stuck move on and come back to it

☺ The paper is 1 hour long. Read the paper and do the questions that will maximise your grade.

☺ Put your name, candidate number and centre number on each document –

where they've asked you to put it! ☺ Put your documents in the correct order – they are marked as

submitted. ☺ Finally - just because this stuff is in the skills paper - don’t forget that

you may have to suggest suitable software for a question in the theory paper OR explain things that a piece of software would be really good for in the last section of the skills paper.

Mrs Puchalla/revised 17March 2017

Word processing task Make sure you know how to: Add a border around a piece of the text

Highlight text, insert text box (You can format the line width, colour or box colour too)

Add a page border Design, page border Change line spacing Highlight PLUS

ctrl 1 (single) ctrl 2 (double) ctrl 5 (one & half)

Change line spacing for letter task

The text is usually set with big gaps between the lines! (don’t know why!!) Click on the line and paragraph spacing icon Set the line to 1 And then click the remove space after paragraph (this should correct it, but check!)

Indent text from a margin

Use the indent icons or Highlight the text and then bring the margins in by using the little triangles on the rule bar

Shoulder headings Use the rule bar and slide the egg timer shape to where you want it to go, but bring the top triangle back to the edge of the margin.

Put text into columns Highlight the text, select Format from the menu bar and choose the number of columns

Page numbers, header and footer

From the menu bar choose View, Header and Footer. From the Header and Footer submenu you will be able to select page numbers.

Aligning text

This is on your menu bar – where you find the ‘centre’ icon; the others mean left align (normal text that starts at left margin), right align (the right margin is straight) and justify (both margins are straight).


Database task What it is: Organised collection of data storage Kept in fields and records, that can be entered, amended or deleted easily ●Field – separates groups of similar information (ie surnames, postcodes) ●Record – information relating to a single person/thing Databases are either: ●Flat-file – consisting of one table of information ●Relational – stores data in separate tables or files and links them together by using key fields (you don’t have to be able to do this - but could use this if you were asked ‘what benefits could a database have’ etc!)

You will usually be asked to:

● Add, delete or amend records ● Search the database (query) and sort it ● Search, usually on more than one criteria (more complex, so more

marks) ● Use AND, OR or NOT in your search criteria ● Type of print – table, records, list, labels ● Amend the database – enter new fields (give or use suitable name) ● Enter new record(s) from bits of text – accuracy/consistency ● Normally you have to do a screen shot of your database – including the

Report (print screen, paste into Word, landscape and print!) REMEMBER … If you select the Sort option when you are setting up a Report for printing, Access will put that field first! If you have to print in a particular order, sort the table THEN set up the Report. Primary key – allows for unique information (so good for membership numbers etc); will not allow duplicates in the field (so no 2 people called 'Smith') Auto number – Access will give each record a new number – so would make a good primary key


Search operators Symbol What it does: = < > <> <= >=

Finds values Finds values Finds values Finds values Finds values Finds values

equal to a certain amount less than the amount specified greater than the amount specified not equal to the amount specified less than or equal to the amount specified greater than or equal to the amount specified

Read the questions about searching (querying) CAREFULLY For example, if it says ’50 and under’ you will need to use 51 in your search criteria to make sure it includes the ‘50’ range! or If the question asks for ‘after 1 January 2000’ then you should phrase this as “>01/01/2000”. Wildcard searches will let you use the * in place of anything. AND, OR and NOT can be used to build complex searches. Sometimes you have to give advantages and disadvantages of Databases: Advantages: ● Sort ● Search ● Query ● Create reports (print outs displayed in

organised way) ● validation reduces keying errors ● relational database – allows you to link

information from other databases so you don’t have to repeat keying the same thing in each table

● entry can be customised to be user friendly (ie Form with drop down boxes)

● primary key – field set with this prohibits duplicate information; useful for things like membership numbers, but not good for surnames as you are likely to get more than one person named Smith!

● can be set to automatically allocate a unique identifying number

Disadvantages: ● Need to know the package to be

able to set up database ● Data needs to be placed in

correct field otherwise it will not be found using the search facility

● If coding is used, it must be understood by all people using the database


If you had to give 3 of each you could write:

3 Advantages 3 Disadvantages Fast and efficient way of storing and accessing large amounts of data

Software can be expensive

Uses less storage space than paper based system and

Users need to be trained to use them properly or data may be lost

Data less likely to get lost especially if regularly backed up

If computer crashes then data cannot be accessed immediately

Accurate searching for information is if you can search on more than one criteria Eg Surname field: Smith Place of birth field: Epping So could improve accuracy

Be careful with things like “Must keep data secure and follow rules of Data Protection Act (1998)” as this also applies to paper based systems so you may not get a mark for it Printing reports in record or column format: Record format only prints one record at a time Good if you only want to issue information about one thing eg a customer’s details. Column format will print all the information contained in the database (depending on what fields were chosen for the print out!) Normally for printing documents in the Database task: Screenshots are normally used when printing a database in the OCR exam: Open a Word document Set it to landscape to make sure all your screenshot is clearly visible If they ask for a screenshot of the Report, you have to have created a Report in your Database, but then screenshot it


Data Capture Sheet (unlikely in OCR skills paper) These can be confusing because there are two versions:

(1) paper based eg like an application form (2) screen based eg if you phoned a company to get something they will

use an on screen ‘form’ to key in information to make sure they took all your details down correctly

Usually when you are asked to create a data capture sheet it means type a questionnaire or form. Just watch the wording about using ‘tick boxes’ or lining everything up as that’s where the marks are loaded in this question. Coding (unlikely in OCR skills paper) Advantage: it is quicker to enter a coded piece of information and because it is shortened it takes up less space in the database and on the system’s storage Disadvantage: may be difficult to understand, so codes need to be well thought through before they are used. There needs to be some contingency if there is no data to match a particular code. For example, car insurance companies code people’s occupations because they consider some more risky than others – for example teachers are less of an insurance risk (eg they are boring!) than advertising executives (eg they are likely to have exciting lives). But the data entry clerk doesn’t want to keep typing in ‘Teacher’ or ‘Advertising Executive’ – it’s much quicker to just add a code such as ‘T1’ for teacher etc.


Mailmerge using Word You’ll do this in Word and merge in an Access file. It might be to set up a mailmerge letter or create labels. Or you might be asked to write a note explaining what mailmerge means and the benefits it offers. How to mailmerge! From the toolbar select Mailings Start Mail Merge Choose the correct type of document (letter, label etc) Select the Choose Recipients tab Use an existing list (this will connect to the database you have been given) Now you have to put merge fields into the document – in the places and with the spaces that you would use if you typed it

Select merge fields from the Insert Merge Field tab Select each one individually, using spaces of a new line as appropriate DON’T use Address Block or Greeting Line – these will lose you marks! It should look something like my example: See I’ve used spaces – just as if I had typed out someone’s name info <<Title>> <<Firstname>> <<Surname>> <<Address Line 1>> <<Town>> <<Postcode>> Dear <<Firstname>> or <<Title>> <<Surname>> (but not both!) When you have added in all the correct merge fields, click on Finish & Merge Then ask for it to be in a new document Check your layout – have you put spaces between things like Firstname and Surname?


Letter Task I’ve put an example in this pack – there are 12 marks for this task: 7 are on the layout of the parts of a letter (eg adding in a date is one mark!) 3 for putting the points you’ve been given into the letter 2 for good opening and closing paragraphs (these are normally a sentence) MUST be fully blocked (everything starting at left margin) and open punctuation (only punctuate the paragraphs). Don’t change the letterhead! Leave around 5 lines between the Yours sincerely and the name of person the letter is coming from so they have enough room to sign their signature – use the correct spelling of their name (find it in the scenario or the question) and don’t sign it even if you think it looks good! Their title goes under their name (note the use of ‘The’ in their title!) So the example here is: Yours sincerely James Smith The Manager If you are sending someone something type Enc at the bottom of the letter (it stands for enclosure and is used to remind people to put the thing they are sending in the envelope) If you have to send a copy to someone then type cc at the bottom of the letter, and then the name of the person who is going to get a copy: cc Jennifer Middleton


8 February 2017 Mr Joe Bloggs 123 The Road Anytown Anywhere AT1 9PQ Dear Mr Bloggs How to write a letter Open the letter sensibly with something like “I thank you for your letter dated …” or “I thank you for your enquiry about our …”. If it is not a reply but you are writing to request something then you could open with “I am trying to find out the cost of …” or “I am interested in …”. Just make sure it makes sense and answers the reason why the letter is being written. A second paragraph should go into more detail about the points they have given you. Only include the points they have given you, but just add in a few words to make them sound better. Please do not add in anything of your own such as cost of classes, or say how you would be happy to organise something special for the person – there are no marks for your imagination, but marks can be deducted for incorrect information. So the rule here is, unless they ask you for your opinion, just use what they have given you. Your final paragraph is about the action you want from the person. So say something like “Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further information.” Or “I look forward to hearing from you shortly.” As both of these make good endings to a letter and should get you out of most situations. Make sure you put a spellcheck over the letter to pick up any spelling or grammatical errors. Yours sincerely Name of the person the letter is coming from (no Mr or Mrs!!!) Job Title of the Person the letter is coming from (The ……)


Spreadsheet Tasks The most common spreadsheets are designed to calculate some sort of differences (eg lap timings for races and petrol usage) or costs or a profit and loss account (sometimes called an income statement) or people’s salaries. ● Read these questions carefully – don’t just =sum( : ) everything! ● For a profit and loss account (or income statement) remember to deduct

expenses from income. ● For salaries you should multiply the hourly rate by the number of hours

worked. ● Use Autosum with care – it should only be used to add a column or row;

check what has been highlighted because the function stops if it encounters a blank cell.

● By using the drop down menu on the Autosum button, you can get other functions such as average, maximum or minimum – so if you can remember HOW to do something …. check out Autosum for a bit of help!

Print showing formulae = Click on the Formula tab, tick the show formula box NOTE: show formula extends the columns widths - don’t change them. Set the scaling on the print menu to ‘fit to one page’. Some things they like to test you knowledge on: IF statements These return an answer when a condition is met. Yes, I can hear you saying “What does that mean!” Well, you tell Excel that if it gets a particular answer to enter that answer in the cell, BUT IF it doesn’t, then enter a different answer. Example. Let’s say you want to know how many students passed their cookery exam. You’ve put the pass mark in Cell D1 and the pass mark was 60% and 957 students took the exam. That’s a lot of looking through all the cells to check, but if you enter the formula in a new cell - so we’ll put it in E1 =IF(D1>=60,’Pass’,’Fail’) So, what Excel will do is check the cell D1 and if it is > (greater than) or = (equal to) 60 it will type the word Pass in E1, but if they scored 59 or less it will type the word Fail. You must use single quotes around what you want it to type AND separate all the sections with a comma. The symbols you’ll need are:

> greater than < less than >= greater than or equal to <= less than or equal to


Relative cell reference is the default setting in Excel. Sometimes you need it to change and not update cells as you replicate (copy) formula. To do this you would use: Absolute cell referencing This forces the spreadsheet to always refer to this cell. So when you replicate a formula updates for each cell (C1, D1, E1 etc), but if you make it an absolute cell reference it won’t - it will keep that cell in the formula. Example of a formula

=sum(A7*B7) if you replicated this down a column, it would go

=sum(A7*B7) =sum(A8*B8) =sum(A9*B9) =sum(A10*B10)

But you want all the cells in the column you have put the formula in to use A7 in the calculation all the way down. You can either manually enter the formula (which takes ages and you are more likely to make errors) or to stop it changing a cell in the formula you put $ signs around it like this

=sum($A$7*B7) =sum($A$7*B8) =sum($A$7*B9) =sum($A$7*B10)

The $ sign makes sure that it absolutely refers to A7


Financial documents created in a spreadsheet Income Statement (sometimes called a Profit and Loss Account) and Cash flow forecast My example has no £ signs to keep it clear as I’ve shrunk the spreadsheet to fit it on the page. In the exam, you’d put in the £ sign. This shows a business how much money it earned, and where it spent money and so how much profit is left after all costs were deducted.

Title includes business name and the date Money taken from sales, LESS how much it costs to buy the stock Then take off things like rent and wages What’s left is profit (but they have to pay tax on that)

So, basically these look scary - but it’s just simple calculations.


Another strange spreadsheet you may get is called a cash flow forecast. The business predicts how much it thinks it will earn and spend during a period of time. So, a cash flow forecast helps it to calculate times when it may have lots of spare cash in the business, and times when it’s going to be a bit short of cash and may have to get a loan from the bank. My example has no £ signs to keep it clear as I’ve shrunk the spreadsheet to fit it on the page. In the exam, you’d put in the £ sign.

OK so to understand one of these ………. Income bit at the top - just adds up the money the business takes Expenditure bits - adds up all the money it spends Net cash flow - is just the amount it took less the amount it spent The only weird bit is the opening and closing balance - but if you look at the pattern it should make sense. The closing balance (so the profit or debt at the end of a month) is carried forward to the start of the next month as the opening balance). Example, if you had £3 in your purse on 31 January that would be your closing balance for January; when you woke up on 1 February and opened your purse - your opening balance would be £3! The closing balance for a month is the net cash flow PLUS the opening balance. Make sure you do the calculation as an =SUM() look at the calculation and check it to make sure you have used the negative numbers properly, ie if they had a net cash flow of -£40 opening balance of -£50 they will have a balance of -£90.


Graphs The Chart Wizard is a great help here! Read the questions and make sure you put in the correct type of graph – many people use a Column display when they've been asked for a Bar graph. The reason they include that question is to make sure you are reading the question! If you have to choose then remember that a Pie chart should only be used on ONE set of data – one column or one row. If you get a chart that's just a circle with a single line in it then you've highlighted the whole chart and it's time to start again! Charts MUST have

● Title (include a date eg Braeside Sales Figures 2017) ● Axis labels ● Legend

You may have to add the amounts or % figures Save your chart as a separate sheet unless told to save on the spreadsheet.


Spreadsheets and mailmerge It’s not on any of the past papers but it is on the spec so be prepared. If you can mailmerge in ANY Microsoft package then you can do it in all of them. They are all fairly similar. 95% chance you’ll get a Word document to work on (you can mailmerge in Publisher, but that seems a bit fancy for a 1 hour exam!) Things you might have to mailmerge using a spreadsheet could be:

● contact list - table of names and addresses or address labels ● product information ● conference information - print out personalised information for

different people attending a conference ● price list

DON’T use the Address Block or Greeting line (it doesn’t match the style your examiner will be looking for). DO layout your merge codes EXACTLY THE SAME as if you were typing them. In Word click on

● Mailings - this will bring up the mail merge tools ● Start Mail Merge ● Choose your document type (letter, labels etc) ● Select Recipients - you’ll be asked to use an existing list so you can

choose the spreadsheet with the data on it ○ make sure you choose the correct spreadsheet - there may be

more than one ● Click on the Insert Merge Fields tab ● From the drop down click each merge code in turn, putting new lines or

spaces etc to set out the information If you are doing labels you will need to press

● Click on Update Merge Fields (so each label gets the merge codes) ● Click Finish and Merge ● You’ll be given a choice - choose Edit Individual Documents

○ All will display all the merged documents ● CHECK YOUR WORK - correct any display errors ● Print

Screenshots of setting up mailmerge labels in Excel are on the website


NOTICE OF MEETING AND AGENDA Usually 10 marks Check the information you are given carefully Type of meeting (formal, informal, team etc) Have they been asked to bring anything? Date, time, venue Don’t put a box around it – it’s an office document NOT an advert! Here’s the example Notice of Meeting All staff are required to attend a formal meeting in the Conference Room on Thursday 16 February 2017 at 2 pm. Agenda

1. Apologies for absence 2. Minutes of the previous meeting 3. Matters arising 4. Correspondence 5. Info from the question 6. Info from the question 7. Details of next meeting 8. Any other business


Memo Task You may be given the memo layout, or you’ll need to create one. MEMORANDUM TO Joe Bloggs FROM Sue Smith DATE 10 February 2017 RE BCS Exams Then you just write what you need to say – you don’t have to put Dear Joe or anything like that. Sometimes this task is short so 2 paragraphs of about 4 lines each normally covers what you would have to say. (eg 4-6 mark question) Sometimes they ask you to explain a software package in this task – that would be a longer memo (eg an 8-12 mark question) Check the marks – the higher the marks the more they think you should be able to write about the topic.


Project management software (never been on a paper – so could be this year!) This is a software package that makes sure a project is delivered on time and within budget, helping to contribute to the success of the business It’s all about Planning

● What needs to be done? ● Who should be doing it? ● When should things be done:

o what order should tasks be completed o can two things be done simultaneously

● Cost monitoring costs - ‘what if’ to see impact on budget ● Delays re-order/change something to stay on time/within budget

Benefits Drawbacks o Organised into manageable tasks o Monitor progress o Identify who’s on what project -

manage teams o Identify problems - take

corrective action o Time planned effectively - broken

down into manageable chunks o Costs can be tracked helping stay

on budget o Easy to edit - move, delete tasks

etc o Share project plan - different

people can view/amend (be careful with this one - see drawbacks!)

o Backup file - so data isn’t lost and you don’t lose the plan

o Software costs (example: Microsoft Project £500 - but others or older versions cheaper)

o Training o Skills needed - may require

experts o Time wasting - too much on

software rather than the project o If too many people are inputting

into or changing the plan mistakes may be made

Features of project planning software Assign tasks - so give people jobs to do Timescales can be set - improving efficiency and setting staff goals Track progress - keeping everything on time Reminders - set up so that things aren’t missed Schedule - what needs to be done and in what order Resource management - eg what staff or equipment are needed? Helps manage budget so you don’t overspend


Organising diaries and meetings using software (Again, never been on the paper before – so could be included this year!) Time is a valuable resource - used well the business will be more efficient and productive Wasting time is wasting money for a business - staff could be doing something to earn the business money! Sometimes the examiner will use the term PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) Which is a small handheld device (like a phone) that has email, calendar, notes etc on handheld electronic device Today’s alternative is the Smartphone as they include such a wide range of functions – but the examiner may ask about PDAs because they are on the Spec! Diary management Calendar - appointments, timescales, reminders - so don’t miss an appointment Can be viewed by colleagues Can allow others to book - so allows meetings to be organised quickly Meeting can be ‘sent’ to contacts and their calendar is automatically updated Attendees can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to their attendance Can attach documents like an agenda BUT - relies on everyone keeping their diary up to date! Includes a Task list or To-Do list – improves time management/efficiency as it helps keep to deadlines Email Can transfer meetings into diary if there is a link (eg date) Possibility to link more than one email account to diary management (eg work/private) – so people don’t have clashes with their holidays etc Forwarding contact details - quick and easy (permission) Contacts list Adding people into a list allows for quick email, accuracy (especially if name gets misspelled) Set up groups - eg teams - avoids missing anyone out BUT - etiquette - just because it’s easy, don’t burden everyone with stuff!


Benefits Drawbacks o Planning - time used efficiently o Avoids clashes o Quicker - don’t have to keep

amending because someone isn’t available

o Synchronize - PC, phone etc o Managers and track workers’

schedules o Improves team communication o One piece of equipment to carry

for diary, notes, contacts etc o

o Computer crashes - can’t access diary etc

o Training needed o Buy software o Reduces face to face

communication o Too much emailing and planning -

which could be used to get task done


Email Task I’ve put an example in this pack. Type it like you were sending an email to a friend. Example: To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Subject: Order for filing cabinet Like the memo, I have not used a ‘Dear’ or a ‘Yours sincerely’ in this task, as these are not needed in the email. In the addresses I have added in a cc to Susie so a copy of my email will go to them. Sometimes people just need to know you’ve done something like placed an order, so they don’t do it too. cc stands for copy. On the email I have also added in a bcc (which stands for blind copy) to Lauren. This means that because it is blind Joe and Susie will not know that I have sent a copy to Lauren. All emails should have a subject line that indicates the content of the email. It’s good etiquette, allows the receiver to get an idea of what it’s about and it stops your email going into the receiver’s spam folder! Messages that are of high importance can be marked with the ! symbol, attachments can be added for long text as these are easier to print off and read, may print better because they will have the correct formatting and a long email is considered impolite (bad etiquette again!) Finally – make sure you get the person’s email address correct – you may have to look in the scenario or it will direct you to look somewhere else. Obviously one of the biggest problems with email is getting the person’s address wrong … as it will be returned to your inbox as ‘undelivered’ (so no marks there if you do that!)


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

PowerPoint You may be asked to create a PowerPoint presentation. You should be able to:

● Change background ● Insert text boxes ● Format text boxes (font, bold, italic, underline,colour, lines etc) ● Insert graphics ● Animate text ● Add transitions ● Change the timings ● Add speaker notes ● Bullets – one style, don’t centre them! (that’s considered bad style)

Print in a particular format:

● Slides ● Handouts ● Notes

You should also be able to explain the benefits of using PowerPoint to improve presentations. You can explain that they should be tested to make sure they can be read from the back of the audience and that spelling etc is accurate so it gives a professional image of the business. Set a ‘style’ by using templates or Slide Master – eg could add in company logo, house colours etc so gives a consistent look to all slides (and yes, makes it more professional!) Balance of text and pictures – keep the words to a minimum, graphics clear Rolling PowerPoint – this continuously loops through all the slides. Great for using in receptions, conferences or trade shows to show different things about a business. To get a rolling PowerPoint you would need to:

● Set up timings for each slide – give enough time to be viewed, but not so long the audience gets bored!

● Click on Slide Show, Set up Slide Show, and then click the box with the Loop continuously until ‘Esc’

Obviously some things the examiner cannot tell you have done on a print out – which is why they might ask for a screenshot, or for you to explain it in some form of note.


Web Authoring You could be asked to create the design for a web page. You are not expected to be able to make a website in the exam - it would just be layout and features. Key points would be to: Navigation - using sensible names like ‘Home’, ‘Products’, Contacts, ‘About us’ Logo Page headings Use tables and frames - where to position items on the page Format – fonts, backgrounds, borders, line spacing, indenting, bullet points, justification, alignment Insert images Animate text – marquee, rollovers, hotspots - just say where you’d use them Hyperlinks Keep a consistent format (house style) for the site - so if it was 2 pages, they should be similar in style. Other Tasks? Possible things could be design a logo, ticket, advert or poster. Check the marks – don’t spend 30 minutes on something with 6 marks! It is often easier to use Publisher than Word. If you have to design something - check the alignment etc (simple and clean) WordArt/ClipArt Loved by you – but it's a business document so keep it ‘professional’ (had to get that in somewhere in this booklet!)
