4.1 · Spreadsheet Basics

Goal: name the parts of a spreadsheet, write basic formulas, and use filter / sort / search.

Anatomy of a spreadsheet

   A         B         C         D
1  Name      Class     Score     Grade
2  Alice     F.4A      86        =IF(...)
3  Bob       F.4A      72        =IF(...)
4  Carol     F.4B      91        =IF(...)

Term	Meaning
Workbook	The whole file (.xlsx)
Worksheet (sheet / tab)	One page inside the workbook
Column	Letters A, B, C, …
Row	Numbers 1, 2, 3, …
Cell	One intersection (e.g. B3)
Range	A rectangular group of cells (e.g. A2:D10)
Formula	An expression starting with =
Function	A predefined formula (e.g. SUM, AVERAGE)

Writing your first formula

Every formula starts with =. Operators:

Operator	Meaning	Example
+ - * /	Arithmetic	=A1+B1
^	Power	=2^10
&	Concatenate text	="Hello "&A1
= <> > < >= <=	Comparison	=A1>=50

A1: 50
A2: 30
A3: =A1+A2    →  80
A4: =A1*2     →  100
A5: =SUM(A1:A4) → 80+50+30+100 = 260

Three essential operations

1 · Sort

Before	After Sort by Score Desc
Alice 86	Carol 91
Bob 72	Alice 86
Carol 91	Bob 72

You can sort by single or multiple criteria (e.g. Class then Score).

2 · Filter

Show only rows matching a condition. The other rows are temporarily hidden.

Filter	Result
Class = F.4A	Alice and Bob remain visible; Carol is hidden
Score ≥ 80	Alice and Carol visible

3 · Search / Find & Replace

• Find: locate a value within a worksheet.
• Find & Replace: substitute one value with another in bulk.

Common student mistakes

• Forgetting = at the start of a formula.
• Using * instead of typing the cell reference: =A1 * 2 is fine, but =A1 * B1 requires both refs.
• Sorting without selecting the whole table — splits names from their scores.
• Filtering without unfreezing earlier filters → confusing partial views.

Worked example · Grading calculator

In D2 enter:

=IF(C2 >= 80, "A", IF(C2 >= 70, "B", IF(C2 >= 60, "C", "F")))

Copy down to D3:D4 to grade every student.

Practice activity

Create the worksheet shown at the top. Now:

1. Sort the students by score descending.
2. Filter to show only F.4A.
3. Add a column "Average" with the class average.
4. Apply conditional formatting to highlight scores below 60 in red.

Key takeaways

• Cells, rows, columns, ranges — know the vocabulary.
• Every formula starts with =.
• Sort, filter and find are the three day-one operations.

➡️ Next: 4.2 Cell References & Functions