A spreadsheet is a grid that calculates. Type numbers into its cells, add a formula, and the answer appears — and updates by itself whenever a number changes. Year 5 coders learn to read cell names and write simple formulas.
What your child will learn
- Name a cell by its column letter and row number
- Know that a formula starts with an equals sign
- Use cell names in a formula, such as =A1+A2
- Use SUM, AVERAGE and MAX on a range, and sort and filter data
Formulas point at cells
The formula =A1+A2 doesn’t add two fixed numbers — it adds whatever is in those two cells. Change A1 and the answer changes with it. A range such as A1:A5 means “all the cells from A1 to A5”, so =SUM(A1:A5) adds five cells in one go.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. True or false? If you change a number, formulas that use it update automatically.
Show answer
Answer: True. That is the main advantage over working it out on paper.
2. In a spreadsheet, what are the columns labelled with?
- Numbers
- Pictures
- Colours
- Letters
Show answer
Answer: Letters. Columns run down the sheet and are named A, B, C…
3. In a spreadsheet, what are the rows labelled with?
- Symbols
- Numbers
- Letters
- Names
Show answer
Answer: Numbers. Rows run across the sheet and are numbered 1, 2, 3…
Tips for grown-ups
- Track pocket money or game scores in a spreadsheet for a month.
- Type a formula, then change one of the numbers and watch the answer update.
- Sort a list of names from A to Z, then by a number column.