Your {{code:05_project_budget}} spreadsheet is the basis for your ICT2 KA1 Key Assignment submission. Before you hand it in, you need to be honest with yourself about where it sits against the SEC's marking criteria. Today you do a structured gap check so that next class (Part 2) you walk in knowing exactly what to fix, in what order, instead of poking around hoping for the best.
Don't open your spreadsheet yet. From memory, answer these three questions in your head: (1) How many rows of real data are in your {{code:05_project_budget}}? (2) How many different formulas did you use, and can you name them? (3) Does it have a chart? Now make a prediction: when you open it in five minutes, how many of those three answers will you get right?
Four ideas sit at the heart of today's workshop. The KA1 criteria tell you what "done" looks like. A gap check turns that into something you can act on.
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| KA1 criteria — the specific checklist the SEC uses to mark your spreadsheet Key Assignment | If you don't know what's being marked, you're guessing; if you do know, you can aim each fix at a specific mark | A typical criterion reads: "Candidate uses at least two different formulas" — that means one SUM is not enough, you need a second type like AVERAGE or COUNTA |
| Gap — something the KA1 asks for that your current spreadsheet does not yet show | Gaps are the only thing stopping you from picking up the mark; everything else is noise | Your sheet has a total row but no chart at all — that's a concrete gap, not a vague "needs improvement" |
| Evidence — the exact cell, formula, or feature in your file that proves a criterion is met | Writing down the evidence forces you to actually check, not just believe; "I think I used AVERAGE somewhere" is not evidence | For "uses formulas", your evidence is: {{cell:E12}} contains {{formula:=SUM(E2:E11)}} and {{cell:E13}} contains {{formula:=AVERAGE(E2:E11)}} |
| Action plan — an ordered list of specific fixes, each one small enough to do in a few minutes | Vague plans like "improve the chart" don't get done; "add a chart title that says 'Weekly stock totals'" gets done in 30 seconds | — |
The exact SEC wording for this year's KA1 is on the brief your teacher has, but every ICT2 KA1 spreadsheet brief in recent memory has asked for some version of these six things. Today's walkthrough uses this list; your teacher will tell you if anything has changed for this year's cycle.
You will create a gap check document that walks through a sample spreadsheet (a Centra-style weekly stocktake) and scores it against the six KA1 criteria. This gives you the exact format and level of detail you'll use on your own budget in the next activity.
Imagine a spreadsheet called {{code:sample_centra_stocktake}} with these contents:
That sample has some of what KA1 asks for and is missing some. Your job in the walkthrough is to produce the gap check document that says exactly which is which.
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| I opened my spreadsheet and it's much worse than I remembered | That's exactly why we do the gap check. Today is for finding this out, not for fixing it. Write every gap down honestly — Part 2 next week is the fix session. |
| I can't tell which formulas I used from looking at the cells | Click on each totals or summary cell and look at the formula bar at the top. That shows the actual formula, not just the calculated result. |
| A criterion says "at least two different formulas" and I have ten SUMs in different cells | Ten SUMs still counts as one function type. You need a second different function like AVERAGE, COUNTA, MIN, MAX, or IF — one of each is enough. |
| My spreadsheet is about something completely different from the Centra example | That's fine — the criteria don't care about the topic. A travel-cost sheet, a fundraiser sheet, and a stocktake are all graded against the same six criteria. |
Get ready to embark on an incredible learning journey! Get access to this lesson and hundreds more on our learning platform.
Chromebooks, laptops, and PCs are crucial tools for coding and digital skills education. Chromebooks are ideal for web-based applications and collaborative projects, while laptops and PCs support a wider range of programming environments and software for more intensive tasks like software development and data analysis.
