Word documents and mail merge, Excel formulas and charts, PowerPoint, Access fundamentals, checked AI tools and an office project.
What you will cover
Word documents
mail merge
Excel formulas
charts
PowerPoint
Access fundamentals
checked AI tools
an office project
Topic list from the institute's programme record.
Certification
Certificate terms for this programme are confirmed by the institute at admission. Any ADIVAS course-completion certificate is an institute certificate; it is not a university degree, an externally accredited qualification or a vendor certification (such as AWS or Microsoft) unless the institute states so in writing.
The programme title is as supplied in the institute's list. Please confirm the awarding body and recognition with the institute before enrolling.
Curriculum 0.1 · Draft: written for ADIVAS and awaiting academic review and approval. Topics and weeks may change before your batch starts.
Your skill trail
You move through 7 stations. Each week builds one skill you can show, not just a topic you have heard.
1
Word documents
Build clear, well-structured documents of several pages.
Week 1 Word workspace and basic formatting
Week 2 Styles, lists and page layout
Week 3 Tables and forms in Word
Week 4 Pictures, shapes and design
Week 5 Long documents: headers, TOC and references
2
Mail merge and document review
Create merged letters and finish documents with review and sharing tools.
Week 6 Mail merge: letters, labels and envelopes
Week 7 Review, templates and sharing
3
Excel formulas and functions
Calculate accurately with references and functions.
Week 8 Excel basics and formatting
Week 9 Formulas and references
Week 10 Logical and text functions
Week 11 Date, lookup and error handling
4
Excel data and charts
Clean, look up, summarise and chart data.
Week 12 Data cleaning, sorting and tables
Week 13 Charts that tell the truth
Week 14 PivotTables and dashboards
Week 15 Conditional formatting, what-if and protection
5
PowerPoint presentations
Design and deliver presentations.
Week 16 PowerPoint structure and design
Week 17 Charts, media and animation
Week 18 Presenting with confidence
6
Access fundamentals
Design a small database and report from it.
Week 19 Access: tables and keys
Week 20 Access: queries and forms
Week 21 Access: reports and working with Excel
7
AI tools and office project
Use AI carefully and build one integrated office project.
Week 22 Using AI tools carefully in the office
Week 23 Office project: plan and build
Week 24 Office project: finish, review and present
★
Coaching Centre Office System
Your project, reviewed by a trainer.
The ADIVAS mastery ladder: how each skill is recognised
Explored You have seen the idea and tried a first example.
Practising You can do it with hints and keep improving.
Proficient You complete the weekly practical task correctly on your own.
Proven You apply it in a project reviewed by your trainer.
Skill-level tracking is being added to the learner workspace. Your trainer already reviews weekly practical work.
What you will be able to do
Create professional multi-page Word documents using styles, tables, headers, footers and a table of contents.
Produce mail-merged letters, labels and envelopes from an Excel or Access data source.
Build Excel workbooks with relative and absolute references and functions for maths, text, dates and logic.
Look up, clean, sort, filter and summarise data using lookup functions, tables and PivotTables.
Create clear charts and conditional formatting that show a data story accurately.
Design and deliver a PowerPoint presentation with consistent layout, charts and rehearsed timing.
Design a simple Access database with tables, relationships, queries, forms and reports.
Use AI tools with checking, privacy and attribution habits and keep files organised and backed up.
Combine Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access in a complete office project with a documented review.
Who it suits
School Students in Classes 9-12 who want strong Word, Excel and PowerPoint skills before college.
College College students and fresh graduates who need reliable office skills for assignments, internships and entry-level admin work.
Professional Office staff, shop owners and job seekers who want to report, analyse and present data efficiently.
Prerequisites: Basic computer use: mouse, keyboard, saving and opening files. The Complete Beginner Office Programme is a good starting point. Tools: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) or LibreOffice Writer, Calc, Impress and Base as a free option, A web browser and a practice email account, A pen drive or cloud drive for backups, A checked AI assistant for drafting and explaining formulas (outputs always verified).
Weekly plan
Word documents Weeks 1–5
Week 1: Word workspace and basic formatting
Theory
Ribbon, Quick Access toolbar and views
Fonts, paragraph spacing, alignment and indents
Find and replace, spell check and proofing
Lab
Type a two-page notice for a school or shop, apply consistent fonts and spacing, use find and replace to fix a repeated name and run the spell check.
Homework
Reformat a supplied untidy page and list five changes you made.
Deliverable
A neatly formatted two-page notice.
Weekly checkpoint
Timed formatting task on a supplied document.
You will be able to
Create professional multi-page Word documents using styles, tables, headers, footers and a table of contents.
Week 2: Styles, lists and page layout
Theory
Heading and Normal styles, modifying styles
Bullets, numbering and multilevel lists
Margins, orientation, columns and page breaks
Lab
Convert a plain report into a styled one using Heading 1 and 2, a multilevel list and a two-column newsletter section with page breaks.
Homework
Change one style and watch the whole document update; write down why this saves time.
Deliverable
A report using styles instead of manual formatting.
Weekly checkpoint
Spot and fix five formatting inconsistencies in a sample.
You will be able to
Create professional multi-page Word documents using styles, tables, headers, footers and a table of contents.
Week 3: Tables and forms in Word
Theory
Insert, merge and split cells
Borders, shading and alignment
Sorting a table and simple formulas in tables
Lab
Make a class timetable, an invoice layout and a feedback form using tables with merged header cells, shading and sorted data.
Homework
Recreate a printed form of your choice as a Word table.
Deliverable
A timetable, invoice and form in one document.
Weekly checkpoint
Practical: build an invoice layout from a printed sample.
You will be able to
Create professional multi-page Word documents using styles, tables, headers, footers and a table of contents.
Week 4: Pictures, shapes and design
Theory
Inserting, cropping and wrapping pictures
Shapes, text boxes, SmartArt and icons
Colour, contrast and alignment guides
Lab
Design a one-page poster and a visiting card with a logo, text boxes and aligned shapes; export both as PDF.
Homework
Collect three posters you like and write what makes each readable.
Deliverable
A poster and a visiting card in PDF.
Weekly checkpoint
Design critique: identify five alignment or contrast errors.
You will be able to
Create professional multi-page Word documents using styles, tables, headers, footers and a table of contents.
Week 5: Long documents: headers, TOC and references
Theory
Sections, headers, footers and page numbers
Table of contents from headings
Captions, footnotes and cross-references
Lab
Produce a ten-page project report with a cover page, section-based page numbering, a table of contents, captions and two footnotes.
Homework
Add a list of figures and update all fields after editing.
Deliverable
A ten-page report with automatic table of contents.
Weekly checkpoint
Sequence the steps of building a table of contents; fix a broken TOC.
You will be able to
Create professional multi-page Word documents using styles, tables, headers, footers and a table of contents.
Mail merge and document review Weeks 6–7
Week 6: Mail merge: letters, labels and envelopes
Theory
Data source rules: headings, no blank rows
Merge fields, rules and filters
Letters, labels, envelopes and email merge
Lab
From an Excel list of 25 customers, merge an offer letter, print-ready address labels and filter only customers from Madurai.
Homework
Create a second letter variation using an IF merge rule for a discount line.
Deliverable
Merged letters, labels and the data file.
Weekly checkpoint
Practical merge on a supplied list with a filter.
You will be able to
Produce mail-merged letters, labels and envelopes from an Excel or Access data source. Create professional multi-page Word documents using styles, tables, headers, footers and a table of contents.
Week 7: Review, templates and sharing
Theory
Track changes, comments and compare
Templates, building blocks and document protection
Saving as PDF, accessibility check and cloud sharing
Lab
Review a classmate's report with track changes and comments, accept or reject changes on your own copy, save a reusable letter template and export a PDF.
Homework
Run the accessibility checker and fix at least three issues.
Deliverable
A reviewed document, a template and a PDF.
Weekly checkpoint
Word module test: knowledge, scenario and a hands-on document fix.
You will be able to
Produce mail-merged letters, labels and envelopes from an Excel or Access data source. Create professional multi-page Word documents using styles, tables, headers, footers and a table of contents.
Excel formulas and functions Weeks 8–11
Week 8: Excel basics and formatting
Theory
Workbook, worksheets, cells and ranges
Data types, number, date and currency formats
Autofill, flash fill and sheet management
Lab
Create a student marks sheet and a monthly expense sheet, format rupees and dates, use autofill for serial numbers and months and organise sheets with names and colours.
Homework
Fix a sheet where numbers are stored as text.
Deliverable
A workbook with two formatted sheets.
Weekly checkpoint
Practical: format and fill a supplied raw data sheet.
You will be able to
Build Excel workbooks with relative and absolute references and functions for maths, text, dates and logic.
Week 9: Formulas and references
Theory
Operators and order of operations
Relative, absolute and mixed references
SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, COUNT and quick checks
Lab
Build a shop bill with quantity, rate, discount percentage and GST in separate cells using absolute references, with totals and an average sale.
Homework
Copy the bill formulas across rows and explain which references moved.
Deliverable
A bill workbook that recalculates when the GST or discount changes.
Weekly checkpoint
Debug three broken formulas with wrong references.
You will be able to
Build Excel workbooks with relative and absolute references and functions for maths, text, dates and logic.
Week 10: Logical and text functions
Theory
IF, AND, OR and nested IF
LEFT, RIGHT, MID, LEN, TRIM, CONCAT and TEXTJOIN
COUNTIF, SUMIF and AVERAGEIF
Lab
Create grade, pass or fail and scholarship eligibility columns for 30 students; split a full name and code into parts; total marks per class with SUMIF.
Homework
Write the IF rule for a fee concession in words first, then as a formula.
Deliverable
A marks analysis sheet with logic and text columns.
Weekly checkpoint
Write six formulas for described business rules.
You will be able to
Build Excel workbooks with relative and absolute references and functions for maths, text, dates and logic.
Week 11: Date, lookup and error handling
Theory
TODAY, DATEDIF, EDATE, WEEKDAY
VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP with exact match
IFERROR and understanding #N/A, #VALUE!, #REF!
Lab
Build a due-date tracker for 20 loan or fee instalments and a price lookup that fetches rate and tax class from a product table, handling missing codes gracefully.
Homework
List each error message you saw and its cause.
Deliverable
A tracker with lookups and clean error messages.
Weekly checkpoint
Lookup problem set plus an error-diagnosis task.
You will be able to
Build Excel workbooks with relative and absolute references and functions for maths, text, dates and logic.
Excel data and charts Weeks 12–15
Week 12: Data cleaning, sorting and tables
Theory
Sort, multi-level sort and custom lists
Filters, advanced filter and removing duplicates
Excel Tables, data validation and drop-down lists
Lab
Clean a deliberately messy student or sales list: trim spaces, fix capitalisation, remove duplicates, convert to a Table and add drop-downs that block wrong entries.
Homework
List five checks you will do before analysing any data set.
Deliverable
A clean data table with validation.
Weekly checkpoint
Cleaning task on a supplied sample with a checklist.
You will be able to
Look up, clean, sort, filter and summarise data using lookup functions, tables and PivotTables. Create clear charts and conditional formatting that show a data story accurately.
Week 13: Charts that tell the truth
Theory
Column, bar, line, pie and combo charts
Axis scales, labels, titles and accessible colours
Misleading charts and how to avoid them
Lab
Create four charts from one monthly sales table, compare the right and wrong chart type for each story, and correct a misleading truncated-axis chart.
Homework
Find a chart in a news report and rewrite its title as a clear takeaway.
Deliverable
A chart sheet with four labelled charts and one-line takeaways.
Weekly checkpoint
Choose and critique charts for six scenarios.
You will be able to
Look up, clean, sort, filter and summarise data using lookup functions, tables and PivotTables. Create clear charts and conditional formatting that show a data story accurately.
Week 14: PivotTables and dashboards
Theory
Creating a PivotTable from a Table
Grouping by month, slicers and PivotCharts
Building a one-page summary
Lab
Summarise 200 rows of sales by region, product and month with a PivotTable, add slicers and a PivotChart, and lay out a one-page dashboard.
Homework
Answer five questions using only the PivotTable and note which fields you used.
Deliverable
A dashboard sheet driven by a PivotTable.
Weekly checkpoint
Practical: answer four business questions from a supplied data set.
You will be able to
Look up, clean, sort, filter and summarise data using lookup functions, tables and PivotTables. Create clear charts and conditional formatting that show a data story accurately.
Week 15: Conditional formatting, what-if and protection
Theory
Conditional formatting rules and data bars
Goal Seek and simple scenarios
Protecting sheets, printing and sharing safely
Lab
Highlight overdue instalments and low stock, use Goal Seek to find the sales needed to reach a target profit, protect formula cells and set print areas.
Homework
Document one scenario: what changes if price rises by 5%.
Deliverable
A protected, print-ready workbook with highlights.
Weekly checkpoint
Excel module test: knowledge, scenario and a hands-on workbook task.
You will be able to
Look up, clean, sort, filter and summarise data using lookup functions, tables and PivotTables. Create clear charts and conditional formatting that show a data story accurately.
Build the structure of a seven-slide business pitch using a customised slide master and a consistent colour theme; plan each slide as a headline sentence.
Homework
Rewrite a text-heavy slide into a headline and one visual.
Deliverable
A slide master and an outline for the pitch.
Weekly checkpoint
Slide critique: rewrite weak slide titles into messages.
You will be able to
Design and deliver a PowerPoint presentation with consistent layout, charts and rehearsed timing.
Week 17: Charts, media and animation
Theory
Pasting and linking Excel charts
Images, icons, video and audio responsibly
Transitions and animation that support meaning
Lab
Add Excel charts, one icon set and one short audio or video to the pitch deck, and use animation only to reveal a chart step by step.
Homework
Remove one effect that distracts and explain why.
Deliverable
A complete draft deck with at least two charts.
Weekly checkpoint
Peer review using a design checklist.
You will be able to
Design and deliver a PowerPoint presentation with consistent layout, charts and rehearsed timing.
Week 18: Presenting with confidence
Theory
Speaker notes, timing and rehearsal
Presenter view, handouts and PDF export
Handling questions and nervousness
Lab
Rehearse a six-minute talk twice with a timer, record one rehearsal, give the talk to a small audience and answer two questions.
Homework
Write the three questions you expect and your answers.
Deliverable
The final deck, speaker notes and a recorded rehearsal.
Weekly checkpoint
Trainer-scored presentation using a rubric.
You will be able to
Design and deliver a PowerPoint presentation with consistent layout, charts and rehearsed timing.
Access fundamentals Weeks 19–21
Week 19: Access: tables and keys
Theory
Database, table, record, field and primary key
Data types, validation and input masks
Relationships and referential integrity
Lab
Design a library or fee database with Students, Courses and Payments tables, set primary keys and relationships, and enter 20 records.
Homework
Draw the tables and relationships on paper before building them.
Deliverable
A database with three related tables and sample data.
Weekly checkpoint
Sequence the steps of designing a database; match terms to examples.
You will be able to
Design a simple Access database with tables, relationships, queries, forms and reports.
Week 20: Access: queries and forms
Theory
Select queries with criteria and sorting
Calculated fields and totals queries
Forms for data entry and navigation
Lab
Write queries for pending fees, payments in a month and students per course; build a data-entry form with a subform for payments.
Homework
Write five more questions the centre may ask and answer them as queries.
Deliverable
Four working queries and a data-entry form.
Weekly checkpoint
Practical: write three queries from described questions.
You will be able to
Design a simple Access database with tables, relationships, queries, forms and reports.
Week 21: Access: reports and working with Excel
Theory
Reports with grouping and totals
Importing from and exporting to Excel
Backup, compact and repair; when to use Excel or Access
Lab
Create a grouped fee report with totals, import 30 new records from Excel, export a query to Excel and back up and compact the database.
Homework
Write a half-page note on when you would use Excel and when Access.
Deliverable
A fee report, an import log and a backup copy.
Weekly checkpoint
Access module test: knowledge, scenario and a hands-on query.
You will be able to
Design a simple Access database with tables, relationships, queries, forms and reports.
AI tools and office project Weeks 22–24
Week 22: Using AI tools carefully in the office
Theory
Prompts for drafting, summarising and formula help
Checking facts, numbers and tone
Privacy: never paste personal, financial or confidential data
Lab
Ask an AI assistant to draft a customer letter, explain a nested IF and suggest a chart type; verify each answer against the actual data or policy and record the corrections.
Homework
Write your own AI use rules for office work.
Deliverable
An AI check log with prompts, answers, corrections and verdicts.
Weekly checkpoint
Scenario questions on AI errors and privacy.
You will be able to
Use AI tools with checking, privacy and attribution habits and keep files organised and backed up. Combine Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access in a complete office project with a documented review.
Week 23: Office project: plan and build
Theory
Project brief, scope and file plan
Planning data flow between Access, Excel, Word and PowerPoint
Version names and backups
Lab
Choose a small business or institute case; build the database or data sheet, a calculation workbook and the first draft of the report.
Homework
Complete the Word report outline and the chart list.
Deliverable
A working data file and a draft report.
Weekly checkpoint
Mid-project review with a trainer.
You will be able to
Use AI tools with checking, privacy and attribution habits and keep files organised and backed up. Combine Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access in a complete office project with a documented review.
Week 24: Office project: finish, review and present
Theory
Merging results into a report and deck
Peer review and checklist
Final presentation and handover
Lab
Finish the report, merged letters, dashboard and a ten-slide presentation; review a classmate's project and fix review points; back up everything and present for eight minutes.
Homework
Write a one-page handover note describing each file and how to update it.
Deliverable
The completed project folder and presentation.
Weekly checkpoint
Final project demo scored on the rubric plus viva.
You will be able to
Use AI tools with checking, privacy and attribution habits and keep files organised and backed up. Combine Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access in a complete office project with a documented review.
Sample lessons
Week 14
From raw sales rows to a PivotTable
A PivotTable summarises a long list without changing it. You drag fields into rows, columns and values and Excel groups and totals the data instantly. The source must be a clean table with one header row, no blank rows and one fact per row. When new rows are added to an Excel Table, the PivotTable can be refreshed to include them. A PivotTable answers questions such as sales by region and month in seconds that would take a long time with formulas.
1Clean Excel Table
2Insert PivotTable
3Drag fields to rows, columns, values
4Add slicer and chart
5Refresh and verify total
Step by step
Convert the sales list to an Excel Table and check headings and blanks.
Insert a PivotTable on a new sheet from the Table.
Drag Region to Rows, Month to Columns and Amount to Values (Sum).
Group dates by month and format values as rupees.
Add a slicer for Product and a PivotChart.
Refresh after adding new rows and check the grand total against SUM on the source.
In real life
A shop owner in Madurai has three months of sales for four branches. A PivotTable shows each branch by month so the owner sees which branch needs attention.
Worked example
Problem. The sales table has 200 rows with columns Date, Region, Product and Amount. How do you find sales by region?
Solution. Insert a PivotTable from the Table, drag Region to Rows and Amount to Values with Sum. The result lists each region with its total; the grand total must equal the SUM of the Amount column. Add Product as a slicer to see one product at a time.
Common mistakes
Leaving blank rows or merged cells in the source, which breaks grouping.
Forgetting to refresh the PivotTable after the data changes.
Typing over a PivotTable instead of changing its fields.
Try it yourself
Build a PivotTable that shows count of students by course and by city.
Check your PivotTable total against a SUMIF on the source.
Week 19
Designing related tables in Access
A database stores each fact once and links tables with keys. A primary key uniquely identifies each record in a table, and a foreign key in another table points to it. Instead of typing a student name on every payment row, the payment stores the student id. This avoids typing mistakes and means a change is made in one place. A relationship with referential integrity stops you from adding a payment for a student who does not exist.
Table
Primary key
Foreign key
Students
StudentID
CourseID
Courses
CourseID
-
Payments
PaymentID
StudentID
Step by step
List the things you track: students, courses and payments.
Give each table a primary key such as StudentID.
Add a foreign key StudentID to Payments and CourseID to Students or an enrolment table.
Create the tables with correct data types and validation rules.
Open Relationships, connect keys and tick Enforce Referential Integrity.
Enter test records and try to break the rules on purpose.
In real life
A coaching centre keeps fees in many notebooks. A database with Students and Payments tables gives instant pending-fee lists for any course.
Worked example
Problem. A student paid three times. How should payments be stored?
Solution. Create a Payments table with PaymentID (primary key), StudentID (foreign key), Date and Amount. The student is stored once in Students and three Payments records point to the same StudentID. Pending fee = course fee minus the sum of that student's payments.
Common mistakes
Repeating the student name and phone in every payment row.
Using a name as a primary key even though two students can have the same name.
Skipping referential integrity and ending with payments for unknown students.
Try it yourself
Design tables for a library with Books, Members and Loans and draw the keys.
Write three validation rules for the Payments table.
Try the questions
The same skills are asked at three levels: School (Classes 6–12), College and Professional. Switch the level and the language (English or Tamil), and say how sure you are before you check: knowing what you are unsure about is part of learning.
Classes 6–12: everyday examples, no prior knowledge. Practice only. Nothing here is graded or saved.
Question 1 / 4 · Why use styles
Your project has many headings. Why is it better to use heading styles than to bold each one by hand?
Projects
Coaching Centre Office System
A small coaching centre needs a complete office set: a student and fee database, an Excel summary with charts, mail-merged fee reminder letters and a presentation for the owner. Build the set and show how the files work together.
Tasks
Create an Access database with Students, Courses and Payments tables, relationships, a data-entry form and a pending-fees query.
Export the query to Excel, build a PivotTable by course and month and two charts with clear titles.
Write a fee-reminder letter in Word and merge it for all students who have pending fees, plus address labels.
Create a ten-slide presentation with a summary, two charts and a recommendation.
Check one AI-drafted paragraph for accuracy, record corrections and back up the project with dated file names.
Sample input
Student Meena, Course Tally, fee 12000, payments 5000 and 3000 in two months
Expected output
Pending fee 4000 for Meena; a PivotTable total by course; merged letters only for students with pending fees; a deck with charts matching the workbook.
How it is assessed
Criterion
Weight
Database design and queries
20%
Excel calculations and PivotTable
20%
Mail merge accuracy
15%
Document and slide design
15%
Charts and data story
10%
AI checking and file hygiene
10%
Presentation delivery
10%
Stretch challenge: Add a conditional-formatting dashboard for overdue instalments and a monthly collection chart.
Annual Report in Word
Prepare a 12-page annual activity report for a school club or small business that uses styles, a table of contents, tables, charts from Excel and a clean cover page, ready to print or share as PDF.
Tasks
Plan the sections and write a short draft using Heading 1 and 2 styles.
Add a cover page, section-based page numbers and an automatic table of contents.
Insert two tables and three Excel charts with captions and cross-references.
Review the document using comments, fix accessibility issues and export a PDF.
Sample input
Club events: Quiz 120 participants, Workshop 60, Annual day 300
Expected output
A consistent 12-page PDF with a working table of contents and captions that match the chart data.
How it is assessed
Criterion
Weight
Styles and structure
30%
Tables, charts and captions
25%
Layout and readability
25%
Review and accessibility
20%
Stretch challenge: Create a reusable template with locked headings for next year's report.
How you are assessed
Each week: six questions (knowledge, scenario and one diagram or formula item), one timed hands-on task on a supplied file and a short reflection. Module tests at weeks 7, 15 and 21.
Practical work. Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access work is assessed on the learner's saved files using a checklist: correct results, correct formulas and relationships, formatting and file organisation. The final project is demonstrated live.
What trainers look for
Weight
Correct working results
35%
Formatting, design and clarity
20%
Data accuracy and checking
15%
File organisation and backups
10%
Safe and checked AI use
10%
Explanation and presentation
10%
Where this can lead
Prepares you for office-assistant, data-entry, reporting and back-office roles that use Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.
Builds strong office skills that support further study in accounting, data or IT courses.
These describe skills you will build. ADIVAS does not guarantee jobs, placement or salary.
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