Today you will
- line up text on the left, in the centre or on the right
- set the gaps between lines and between paragraphs
- add three paragraphs to {{code:03_proposal_draft}}
Warm-up
Think of the last long message you read on your phone. What made it easy or hard to read?
Alignment is how your text lines up: on the left, in the centre or on the right.
Line spacing is the gap between the lines inside one paragraph.
Paragraph spacing is the gap after a whole paragraph, so you don't need to press Enter twice.
Indent means moving a paragraph in a little from the left edge.
Example
In a good proposal, the title is in the centre, the date is on the right and the body text is on the left.
You will paste a short practice sample with five lines, then line up and space each one. Watch your teacher first, then follow the steps in the box below.
Title: Proposal: Weekend baking orders for St Mary's GAA club
Date: 12 March 2026
Purpose: This project sets up a weekend baking service for St Mary's GAA club fundraisers so I can raise money for underage gear and practise costing and reliable delivery.
Plan: Over six weeks I will confirm three recipes, agree dates with the club treasurer, take pre-orders by Thursday, and bake on Friday evenings.
Outcome: By the end I will have four paid orders, a short cost record, and a one-page summary for Work Experience evidence.
Common snags
- Everything is centred. Click in each body paragraph and choose Left align.
- There are big gaps between paragraphs. You pressed Enter twice, so delete the empty lines and use Spacing After instead.
- A button does nothing. Click in or select the right paragraph first, then try again.
- Justified text has huge gaps between words. Switch it back to Left align.
Independent Practice
- Open {{code:03_proposal_draft}} in {{code:03_documents}}.
- Delete the practice lines from the sample.
- Write a Purpose, a Plan and an Outcome paragraph, starting with the lines in the box.
- Put your body text on the left and use Spacing After instead of empty lines.
- If you have a title, centre it. If you have a date, put it on the right.
Purpose: This project is about…
Plan: Over the next … I will…
Outcome: By the end I will have…
If you have no project yet, pick a Work Experience task or a club fundraiser.
- My three paragraphs are about my own project.
- My body text is on the left, with even gaps.
- There are no empty lines between paragraphs.
- The file is still called {{code:03_proposal_draft}}.
Think about
- Which change made the biggest difference to your page?
- What would a Work Experience supervisor notice first about your layout?
Talk about it with a partner.
What you covered
- I can line up text left, centre or right.
- I can set line spacing and paragraph spacing.
- I can add an indent and fix spacing mistakes.
- I added three paragraphs to {{code:03_proposal_draft}}.
Finished early?
Try a small first-line indent on your body paragraphs. In Google Docs, use {{menu:Format -> Align & indent -> Indentation options}}.
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