1 - Introduction ~4 mins
Welcome
Today you lock in ICT2 Key Assignment 1. You already built a spreadsheet for your Something Real project. This lesson is the evidence check: prove the formulas do real work, write one clear sentence about what the sheet does, and get files ready so a registered LCA teacher can verify and submit your KA1.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Complete the SEC KA1 evidence checklist against your polished spreadsheet
- Describe in one sentence what the spreadsheet does for your project
- Prepare KA1 evidence for registered teacher verification and SEC submission
- Reflect on spreadsheet learning and project value
File check
Working file today: {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} inside {{code:05_budget}} in your Project Portfolio.
- If that file is already there, open the folder and leave it ready.
- If you only have {{code:05_project_budget}}, open that file and rename it now to {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} before the checklist.
- Missing Parts 1–2? Rename {{code:05_project_budget}} to {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} and add at least one live formula that answers a real project question before Portfolio Build.
Warm-up
If someone from Work Experience, a club treasurer, or a customer asked "what does this sheet actually do?", what one sentence would you say back?
2 - Key Concepts ~5 mins
ICT2 KA1 is not "any spreadsheet with a formula". It is your best sheet for a task you are genuinely involved in.
Example: "This sheet totals my phone-case startup costs and flags any item over €20 so I know where to cut."
KA1 evidence checklist (use this on your own sheet)
- Task link — project title in {{cell:A1}} shows a real task you are involved in
- Working formulas — formula bar starts with {{code:=}} and references a range
- Live test — change a cost and watch totals (and flags or %) update
- Readable layout — clear headers from row 3, euro costs easy to scan
- One-sentence description — plain line in {{cell:A2}} using the frame above
- Editable file plus PDF — workbook and a matching PDF named {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} side by side in {{code:05_budget}}
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Bankable evidence — a finished sheet (plus PDF) that still works when a number changes | If totals break when you edit a cost, the sheet is not ready for KA sign-off | Change vinyl from €8.50 to €9.00 and watch total and % update |
| One-sentence description — what the sheet calculates and for whom | A verifier must see that formulas serve a real task, not decoration | "This sheet totals my phone-case startup costs so I know where to cut." |
| Teacher verification — a registered LCA teacher checks evidence and submits KA credit | You prepare the file and checklist; only a registered teacher banks the credit | — |
Sheet layout for today: title in {{cell:A1}}; one-sentence description in {{cell:A2}} (let the text wrap if it is long); data headers from row 3.
3 - Step-by-step Task ~18 mins
With the class, open the shared sample workbook {{code:05_ka1_sample_aoife}} and run the full checklist items 1–6 (task link, working formulas, live test, readable layout, one-sentence in A2, editable file plus PDF). You will repeat the full checklist on your own {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} in Portfolio Build.
4 - Common Issues ~4 mins
Common Issues
If the live test does nothing, that is useful information. It usually means the total is a typed number, not a broken career in spreadsheets. Fix the formula and retest.
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| My total does not change when I edit a cost | Click the total cell. If the formula bar shows a plain number, replace it with a real formula such as {{formula:=SUM(C3:C14)}}. If you see a leading apostrophe before {{code:=}}, delete the apostrophe. |
| I cannot find {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} | Open {{code:05_budget}} in your Project Portfolio. Rename your polished budget file to {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} now (often it is still named {{code:05_project_budget}}). That renamed file is the one you submit. |
| PDF export is missing, stuck in Downloads, or has a random name | Export or print to PDF again. Rename the PDF to {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} (same base name as the workbook). Move or upload it into {{code:05_budget}} beside the workbook and confirm both files sit side by side. |
| My one-sentence description is vague or in the wrong place | Put the project title in {{cell:A1}}. Put the sentence in {{cell:A2}} using "This sheet [calculates X] so I can [decide Y]." Name the real project task (placement costs, stall stock, kit list), not "my spreadsheet for school". Let the text wrap if needed. |
5 - Portfolio Build ~19 mins
Portfolio Build
Use the same checklist and PDF steps you practised on the sample. Work through this list in order.
- Open {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} inside {{code:05_budget}}. If you still only have {{code:05_project_budget}}, rename it to {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} first.
- Run checklist items 1 to 3 on your own data: task link in {{cell:A1}}, working formulas in the formula bar, and a live test that updates the total.
- Finish layout for items 4 and 5: clear headers from row 3; project title in {{cell:A1}}; one-sentence description in {{cell:A2}} using "This sheet [calculates X] so I can [decide Y]." Let A2 wrap if the sentence is long.
- Export a PDF and place it in {{code:05_budget}} beside the workbook. Name the PDF exactly {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} (same base name as the workbook).
- Excel Online: Open the File menu, choose Print, then Save as PDF (or Microsoft Print to PDF). If Export and Download as PDF appear instead, use that path. Find the file, rename it to {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} if needed, and move it into {{code:05_budget}}.
- Google Sheets: Open the File menu, choose Download, then PDF document. Upload from Downloads into {{code:05_budget}} if it did not land there. Rename the file to {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}}.
- Must finish today: sheet with live formulas, A2 sentence, and PDF named {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} in {{code:05_budget}}.
- If time remains: in the same {{code:05_budget}} folder create a short Word Online or Google Doc named {{code:01_unit1_reflection}}. Use three headings and write 2 to 3 sentences under each: (1) What the sheet does, (2) How it helps my Something Real project, (3) What I learned in Unit 1. Starters: "This sheet…", "It helps my project because…", "One skill I can reuse is…".
- Must finish today: {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} is saved in {{code:05_budget}} with working formulas that update when a number changes
- Must finish today: Title is in {{cell:A1}}; {{cell:A2}} holds a clear one-sentence description of what the sheet does for your real project task; headers start on row 3
- Must finish today: A PDF copy named {{code:05_ka1_best_spreadsheet}} sits beside the editable workbook in {{code:05_budget}} for teacher verification
- If time / catch-up: {{code:01_unit1_reflection}} (Word Online or Google Doc in {{code:05_budget}}) covers all three parts under the headings above
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