A basic word processing task for students who are being introduced to Microsoft Word or for those taking national qualifications that require typing accuracy. Students have to write out a passage of text before formatting it using a set of instructions. Students can be extended by encouraging them to write formatting instructions for their partner or for the rest of the class.

A short 20-mark assessment that is designed for the CIE iGCSE ICT specification. All questions test students' knowledge of Units 2 and 3, so this would be great to use as a half-term assessment or revision exercise. All questions have featured on past CIE papers (to which the content is credited). All mark schemes for the questions can be found on the CIE website; however, the questions are relatively straightforward and can be marked without a mark scheme.

A word processing task to introduce students to basic formatting techniques and to encourage accuracy (something that is required in all national assessments). Students have to write out a block of text before formatting it using a set of instructions. More able students will be able to follow the instructions to create an automatic file name and to edit the content in the header/footer. This can be edited for KS2; however, it is primarily suited to Year 8 and Year 9. Instructions have been included for each step so that less able students can be prompted on how to complete the task.

A task to improve students' knowledge of Microsoft Word; this is ideal practice for the OCR CLAIT Qualification. Students are presented with a piece of text on the history of the goldfish. They must follow the instructions to format and edit the document. I have provided an answer sheet which shows the finished product; students can compare their work with this at the end of the task. Students are asked to cut and paste; insert text; find and replace text etc. An extension activity could be to get students to create their own instructions for a partner to follow.

A very basic introduction to Microsoft Excel for KS2. Students are introduced to the terms 'cell', 'row' and 'column' and then have to solve a hidden message. They then have to complete basic sums using formulae.

A short 20 mark assessment for the CIE iGCSE ICT specification. Questions have all been previously included on CIE papers. This would be ideal for an end of unit assessment to test students' knowledge of the different types of computers/printers. Mark schemes can be found on the CIE website; however, all of the questions are relatively straight forward.

A basic worksheet with the key interfaces in a table. Students have to define an interface and then fill in the table with the advantages/disadvantages/description of each type of interface. This worksheet could then be used as a revision aid as students move closer to the exam. This worksheet was designed for the CIE iGCSE ICT specification; however, it would be appropriate for other exam boards that feature a topic on interfaces.

A cut and stick activity for GCSE pupils; however, it is simple enough for KS3 computing. Students have to sort the tiles into input and output devices (or both) and stick them on to the relevant side of the diagram (blow up to A3). I would then encourage students to think of some more devices and write those in on the relevant side. Students could also write a basic description of the devices that they are unfamiliar with, which would help them with their revision.

A short 20-mark assessment for the CIE iGCSE ICT specification. All questions focus on Unit 5, ICT and Employment and have been included on past CIE papers (to which the questions are credited). This would be a perfect resource for an end of unit assessment to test students' knowledge; it could also be used for revision in the lead up to the exam. Mark schemes for the questions can be found on the CIE website; however, all of the questions are straight forward enough to be marked by a knowledgeable teacher.

A help sheet and task for Year 7 pupils (or KS2) on how to create a poster/information sheet. Students are given the task of searching a children's E-Safety website and selecting the most relevant information to include on their posters. The advice sheet explains the key icons that can be found on the Home ribbon, which students may use to help their posters stand out. More able students will be able to add images to their documents.

An information sheet designed for GCSE/iGCSE units on confidentiality/data security (Unit 8 of CIE iGCSE). Students have to answer basic questions on passwords and encryption, before being presented with authentication methods used for computers. This would be an excellent resource for revision of these topics.

A fun activity to get students used to inputting data into allocated cells. Students will follow the instructions to add words to different cells on a blank Excel spreadsheet. At the end of the task, the words will come together to form a riddle (Answer: Clock). Students then have to email their answers to the teacher (teachers must insert their email address on to the worksheet), which helps them to repeat this key skill. Students who finish quickly could create their own sheets, using riddles from the internet or ones they have created themselves.

A fun task that instructs students to create a table based on the 2016 music chart. Students need to follow a link to the Official Charts Company's website where they then need to input data into a table they have created using Microsoft Word. Students then have to follow the instructions to edit their chart (alignment, shading, gridlines etc.) This is a useful resource for KS2/3 pupils who are being introduced to Microsoft Word.

A blank table with the skills required for the OCR CLAiT qualification (Unit 2 - Excel). Students are asked to tick whether they are comfortable with each step and should use the notes section to write useful tips to themselves or draw the relevant buttons required to complete the task.

A checklist of skills for the OCR CLAiT qualification (Unit 5 - Creating an e-Presentation). Students have to read through each skill and tick whether they can complete it or not. They can use the notes section to write tips to themselves or can draw the relevant buttons that need to be clicked on to complete each task.

A card sort activity for the iGCSE CIE ICT topic on ATMs (Computers and Banking). Students are given the steps of putting a debit card into an ATM to withdraw cash. Presented on the sheet is the correct order of the steps. Teachers should print this off as the answer sheet and print additional copies to be cut up. Students then have to sort the instructions into the correct order.

A basic file management task for KS2/KS3. Students have to follow a set of instructions to create/rename/delete folders. They can then be extended by encouraging them to copy/move folders around. These skills are essential in the first few weeks of term so that students keep their work areas tidy. The resource will need to be edited slightly to instruct students to create the folders in their relevant work areas.

A basic worksheet that introduces the difference between Bluetooth and WiFi. This is designed for GCSE/iGCSE topics on Networks; however, it could certainly be used for KS3. Students are presented with a table of specifications for Bluetooth and WiFi connections and have to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each one. More able students are then encouraged to think of situations/scenarios where each method of connection would be appropriate.

Included are two resources that could be used for a full lesson on formulae and functions in Excel. This would be ideal as an introductory lesson. Students can be given the card sort (laminated) in pairs and must construct various formulae/functions based on teacher instructions. The class can then discuss what 'punctuation' is always the same and can differentiate between a formula and function. Then they can test out their skills, pretending they are the owner of an ice cream shop. They are given a set of sales data for November and must complete various tasks (using formulae, functions and assessing the data). Answers have been provided on the original Excel document. I have given the pupil instructions as a Word file as one key area of learning for me is having students type out information accurately; however, you can easily give them the original Excel file instead.

Included are 3 checklists for students completing the CLAIT ICT assessments. These are for the 3 most common modules: Word, PowerPoint and Excel. This can be used just before the assessment to check that students are able to carry out the various tasks required. All of the skills on these sheets have been asked in previous CLAIT assessments. These checklists can also be used regardless of whether your pupils are studying for the CLAIT assessment. They are great feedback sheets for the end of topics, to assess how confident students are with each programme. I encourage students to use the 'Notes' section to write down how they complete each task.