Header/footer: purpose is consistency
A header is a defined area at the top of every page; a footer is the same at the bottom, both separate from the body text. Their purpose is consistency without repetition: information needed on every page — a candidate name, a title, page numbers, a file reference — is typed or inserted once into the header or footer, and the software repeats it in the same position on every page, avoiding retyping and inconsistent placement.
Creating/editing: one shared area
You create a header or footer by opening its editing area — double-clicking the top or bottom margin, or an Insert Header/Footer command — which moves the cursor into a separate area from the body text. To edit it, you reopen that same area and add, change or delete content as in normal text. Because the area is a single, shared one applied across pages, one edit updates every page at once — you do not (and should not) repeat it page by page.
Alignment and automated fields
Header/footer content uses the same three alignments as body text: left margin, right margin, or centred within the margins — and different items can each need a different one. Automated objects (fields) are inserted, not typed, and stay current: file information (name/path), page number (current page), total number of pages (overall count), date, and time. Plain typed text, such as a name, can sit alongside these fields.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Typed value ≠ automated field
Keying a static value where a task needs an automated FIELD is the most-cited error. Typing "1" in a footer shows "1" there but on every other page too, because fixed text does not recalculate per page. Typing today's date as text freezes it, so a later reprint shows the wrong date. When a task says "automated", use the insert-field command, not a typed value.
w23 P02 Q3: a static digit was keyed as the page number instead of inserting the automated page-number field.
Exact wording and capitalisation
Where a task specifies exact text to key (not an automated field), the mark scheme checks the wording and capitalisation against the instruction. "Candidate Name" is not the same evidence as "candidate name" or "CANDIDATE NAME" — the words alone are not enough. Copy specified keyed text exactly, including its capitalisation and spacing, rather than approximating it.
w23 P02 Q3: marks lost for capitalisation errors in keyed footer text.
Page number ≠ total pages
"Page number" (the CURRENT page, changing on every page) and "total number of pages" (the OVERALL count, same on every page) are two separate automated fields. "Page X of Y" needs BOTH inserted, with "of" typed between them. Inserting only the page-number field and typing "of 12" as static text loses the total-pages element and is wrong if a page is later added or removed.
Header vs footer vs body
A header is the top area and a footer the bottom area of every page. Content placed in the wrong one — or typed into the ordinary body text instead of the header/footer area — does not meet the requirement, even if the words are right. Check you have opened the correct area (header when the task says header, footer when it says footer) before adding any content.
Same alignment on every item
When one header/footer carries several items at different alignments — a name at the left margin, a date at the right margin — applying a single alignment to all of them loses marks. Set each item's alignment separately: left margin, right margin, or centred within the margins, exactly as specified for that item. Different items routinely need different alignments.
Describing where, not why
Asked for the PURPOSE of a header or footer, candidates often describe WHERE it sits (top or bottom) instead of WHY it is used — but location is not the purpose. The purpose is to show information consistently on every page without retyping it. An example (page number, name, date) can support the answer but does not replace the statement of purpose.
Mark each element independently
A header/footer instruction lists several requirements, each marked separately: the CONTENT (typed text vs the right automated field), the LOCATION (header vs footer), and the ALIGNMENT. One right item does not carry the others — check all three for every listed item.
Insert fields, key text exactly
Match the item type. For an automated object (page number, date, file information, etc.) use the insert-field command; for specified text, key it exactly as worded, including capitalisation. A typed value where an automated field was required earns no mark.
Check two pages, then screenshot
Before finishing, check the header/footer on more than one page — it should repeat, a page-number field should change, and a total-pages field stay the same. Screenshot the evidence fully visible and uncropped, add candidate details, and print the Evidence Document.
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