Your class is collecting money for a trip. Thirty students, five payments each… How would you keep track of who has paid what, without getting lost in a pile of paper? A spreadsheet is built for exactly this job.
In this post:
- What a spreadsheet is, and some popular spreadsheet programs
- Cells, cell addresses, rows, columns and ranges
- Creating, opening, saving and closing a workbook
- Inserting and deleting rows and columns, and changing their size
- A cell address game, a practice task and a quiz
What is a spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet is a grid of boxes for storing numbers and words, and for doing calculations with them. Change one number and every answer that uses it updates by itself. Popular spreadsheet programs include Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets and the free LibreOffice Calc.
A spreadsheet file is called a workbook. Each workbook can hold several worksheets (pages), shown as tabs at the bottom of the screen, such as Sheet1, Sheet2.
Image source: File:LibreOffice Calc 6.4.png (Wikimedia Commons)
Spreadsheet words you need
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Column | A line of cells going down. Columns are named with letters. | Column C |
| Row | A line of cells going across. Rows are numbered. | Row 4 |
| Cell | One box, where a column and a row meet. | The box in column C, row 4 |
| Cell address (cell reference) | The name of a cell: its column letter, then its row number. | C4 |
| Active cell | The cell you have selected. It has a thick border, and its address shows in the Name Box. | – |
| Range | A block of cells next to each other, written as first cell : last cell. | B2:D5 (12 cells) |
| Formula bar | The long box above the grid that shows what is really inside the active cell. | =B2+C2 |
Create, open, save and close
- Create: open Excel and choose Blank workbook, or press Ctrl + N.
- Enter data: click a cell, type, then press Enter (moves down) or Tab (moves right). To change a cell, double-click it or press F2. Delete clears it.
- Save: Ctrl + S. Give the file a clear name, like Trip_Payments. Excel files end in .xlsx.
- Open: File → Open (Ctrl + O), then find your file.
- Close: File → Close. Excel asks you to save if you have unsaved changes.
Rows and columns: insert, delete and resize
| To… | Do this (Excel) |
|---|---|
| Select a whole row or column | Click its number (row) or letter (column) heading. |
| Insert a row or column | Right-click a row number or column letter → Insert. A new row appears above; a new column appears to the left. |
| Delete a row or column | Right-click the heading → Delete. Everything in it is removed! |
| Change column width | Drag the line on the right of the column letter. Double-click the line to make the column fit its longest entry (AutoFit). |
| Change row height | Drag the line below the row number. |
| Set an exact size | Home tab → Format (in the Cells group) → Row Height… or Column Width…. In Excel 2003: Format menu → Row or Column. |
If you see ##### in a cell, don’t panic! The number is just too wide for the column. Make the column wider and it appears.
Watch: cell basics
This video covers the basics of working with cells in Excel. Try each step as you watch.
Video: Excel: Cell Basics – LearnFree – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mSKsaquTAM
Activity: cell address game
Try it: find the cell
Rounds 1–5: click the cell named. Rounds 6–10: type the address of the yellow cell. Ten rounds in all.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||||
| 2 | ||||||||
| 3 | ||||||||
| 4 | ||||||||
| 5 | ||||||||
| 6 | ||||||||
| 7 | ||||||||
| 8 | ||||||||
| 9 | ||||||||
| 10 |
Activity: ranges
Try it: count the cells
Work out each answer, then click Check.
1. How many cells are in the range A1:A10?
2. How many cells are in the range B3:E3?
3. How many cells are in the range B2:D5?
4. What is the address of the cell in column F, row 7?
5. You insert a new column to the left of column B. What letter does the old column B now have?
Practice: a simple budget
Open a blank workbook and make a pretend weekly budget for a family. Type the headings in row 1 and the items below. Save it as My_Budget.
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Item | Cost ($) |
| 2 | Groceries | 650 |
| 3 | Electricity | 120 |
| 4 | Water | 45 |
| 5 | Transport | 200 |
| 6 | Phone | 99 |
- Make column A wide enough to show every item.
- Insert a new row above row 4 and add Internet, 150.
- Delete the Phone row.
- Make row 1 taller, then save and close the workbook.
- Open it again to check that your changes were saved.
Self-check quiz
Click the best answer. You get feedback straight away; only your first click counts towards your score.
1. Columns in a spreadsheet are named with…
2. What is a cell?
3. Which is a correct cell address?
4. How many cells are in the range A1:B3?
5. A cell shows ##### instead of a number. What should you do?
6. To insert a new column in Excel, you can…
Related posts on islandclass.org
- Spreadsheets: Introduction, definition & terminology
- Create a simple Spreadsheet
- Introduction to Spreadsheets – Live Excel Demo
- Spreadsheet Introduction – Form 2 – 2025-05-13 13: 22: 44
- Inserting rows and Columns, Formatting Cells and Formula Revision
For later, in Forms 4–5 (CSEC IT): these go deeper and are for when you reach CSEC Information Technology.
Next: Spreadsheet Formulas and Functions: SUM, AVERAGE, MIN and MAX
Syllabus link: Forms 1–3 ICT curriculum, Module 3, Objective 3.10 – create a simple spreadsheet document.
Attributions to media used in this post:
- LibreOffice Calc 6.4.png – Jasozh – CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Video: Excel: Cell Basics – LearnFree (YouTube)
Updates
2026/10/21
- Fixed the activity code so its buttons keep working.
© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.