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      Applying conditional formatting to data

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can use conditional formatting and a range of tools to present data effectively.

      Key learning points

      1. Conditional formatting applies a style or format to a cell based on whether a cell matches a certain criteria.
      2. Conditional formatting can be applied to specific data in a range of cells.
      3. Conditional formatting can be used to highlight or pick out key pieces of data.
      4. Spreadsheet tools can be combined to analyse and present data.

      Keywords

      • Conditional formatting - applies a style or format to a cell based on whether a cell matches a certain criteria

      Common misconception

      Pupils may think that conditional formatting can only be used to add background colour to a cell.

      Conditional formatting can be used to apply a range of formatting a cell including the text of the cell itself.

      Teacher tip

      Conditional formatting is often seen in the world around us to draw attention to when changes require humans to take notice for example, the crossing at a set of traffic lights. Encourage pupils to identify examples they have seen themselves to appreciate the usefulness of this formatting technique.

      Equipment

      Pupils will need access to a device with spreadsheet software. Examples in this lesson use Google Sheets https://oak.link/google-sheets

      Files needed for this lesson

      UK forestry data 277.38 KB (XLSX)

      Weather data 145.23 KB (XLSX)

      Download these files to use in the lesson.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Which tool is used to organise data in ascending or descending order in a spreadsheet?

      Correct answer: sort
      filter
      freeze panes
      merge cells

      Q2.
      Which function would you use to count the number of non-blank cells in a range?

      COUNTBLANK
      Correct answer: COUNTA
      ISNOTBLANK
      COUNTALL

      Q3.
      What does the function =IF(A1>10, "Yes", "No") do?

      counts the number of cells greater than 10 in the range A1
      Correct answer: checks if the value in A1 is greater than 10 and returns "Yes" or "No"
      sorts values greater than 10 into a new range
      deletes values in A1 less than 10

      Q4.
      What does the function =MIN(A1:A10) do?

      Correct answer: finds the smallest number in the group of cells A1 to A10
      adds all the numbers in A1 to A10
      counts how many numbers are in A1 to A10
      finds the largest number in A1 to A10

      Q5.
      Write the formula you would use to multiply the value in A1 by the value in B1.

      Correct Answer: =A1B1, =B1A1

      Q6.
      The function used to add a group of numbers together is = (A1:A10).

      Correct Answer: SUM

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      What is the purpose of conditional formatting?

      Correct answer: to highlight cells based on specific criteria
      to sort and filter data automatically
      to validate data entry rules
      to protect cells from being edited

      Q2.
      Which of these is an example of conditional formatting?

      Correct answer: highlighting all cells with values greater than 10
      changing the colour of a cell manually
      adding a border to all cells
      Correct answer: changing the font colour of all cells which contain the text 'Yes"

      Q3.
      Which of these rules can be applied with conditional formatting?

      highlight cells equal to "Pass"
      change font colour for values less than 50
      create a colour scale for numbers in a range
      Correct answer: all of the above

      Q4.
      Match the term to the definition.

      Correct Answer:SUM,adds a group of numbers together
      Correct Answer:MIN,finds the smallest number in a range
      Correct Answer:MAX,finds the largest number in a range
      Correct Answer:conditional formatting,highlights cells based on their values
      Correct Answer:filter,displays only rows that meet certain criteria

      To help you plan your 7 computing lesson on: Applying conditional formatting to data, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...