Class VI - Lesson No. 3 & 4 MS Excel 2026
Let's Learn MS Excel!
A fun digital notebook for Class 6 — spreadsheet basics, the Excel window, formulas, functions, and handy practical tips & tricks. Try the calculations yourself below! 🧮
=A1+B1 works — change the numbers and try it!What is MS Excel?
MS Excel (Microsoft Excel) is a spreadsheet software made by Microsoft. It stores information in rows and columns and can do calculations for us automatically — perfect for marksheets, budgets, timetables and lists.
Store Data
Type numbers, words and dates neatly into rows and columns.
Calculate
Use formulas and functions to add, subtract, average and much more — automatically.
Format
Make cells bold, colourful, bordered and easy to read.
Organise
Sort and arrange data from smallest to largest, or A to Z.
Show as Charts
Turn boring numbers into colourful bar, line or pie charts.
Save & Share
Save the file (as .xlsx) and share marksheets, budgets or lists with others.
The MS Excel Interface
"Interface" means the screen/window you see when Excel opens. It has many special parts not found in Word — like the grid of cells!
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Name | Marks | Grade |
| 2 | Riya | 85 | A |
| 3 | Aarav | 72 | B |
| 4 | Meera | 91 | A |
1. Title Bar
The topmost bar. It shows the workbook name and has Minimize, Maximize and Close buttons.
2. Quick Access Toolbar
Small bar with Save, Undo and Redo buttons for quick use.
3. Ribbon
The big colourful strip below the title bar. It has Tabs, Groups and Buttons together.
4. Tabs
Home, Insert, Page Layout, Formulas, Data, Review, View — each tab opens different tools.
5. Name Box & Formula Bar
The Name Box shows the selected cell's address; the Formula Bar shows the formula typed in that cell.
6. Cells, Rows & Columns
Rows are numbered (1,2,3...), columns are lettered (A,B,C...). A cell is where a row and column meet.
7. Active Cell
The cell currently selected — shown with a bold green outline, ready for typing.
8. Sheet Tabs
Found at the bottom — used to switch between different sheets in the same workbook.
9. Status Bar
Bottom strip — quickly shows Average, Count and Sum of selected numbers.
10. Zoom Control
Bottom-right slider used to zoom the sheet in or out.
🪜 How to open MS Excel
- Click the Start Menu on the computer.
- Type Excel in the search box.
- Click on the Microsoft Excel icon.
- Select Blank Workbook to start entering data.
Basic Spreadsheet Skills
Before formulas, we must know how to enter data and format cells neatly. These are found on the Home Tab.
⌨️ Enter Data
Click a cell and type — numbers, words or dates all fit inside a cell.
➕ Insert Row/Column
Right-click a row/column number and choose Insert to add a new one.
➖ Delete Row/Column
Right-click a row/column number and choose Delete to remove it.
↔️ Resize
Drag the border between two column letters or row numbers to make them wider or taller.
🔗 Merge Cells
Joins two or more cells into one big cell — useful for titles.
📝 Wrap Text
Makes long text show on multiple lines instead of spilling into the next cell.
🎨 Format Cells
Make cells Bold, Italic, Underlined, or add Font Colour and Fill Colour.
☰ Alignment
Line up cell content to the Left, Centre or Right.
🪜 Steps to enter and format data in a cell
- Click the cell where you want to type (it becomes the active cell).
- Type your data and press Enter to move down, or Tab to move right.
- Select the cell(s) again, then go to Home Tab → Font Group to make it Bold, Italic, Underlined, or change Font Colour and Fill Colour.
🪜 Steps to Merge Cells and Wrap Text
- Select the cells you want to join together.
- Go to Home Tab → Alignment Group → Merge & Centre.
- To wrap long text, select the cell and click Home Tab → Alignment Group → Wrap Text.
| A | B | C |
|---|---|---|
| Marksheet | ||
| Riya | 85 | A |
Writing Formulas
A formula is a set of instructions that makes Excel calculate a value for us. Every formula begins with an equal sign (=).
= Equal Sign
Every formula must start with = or Excel will treat it as plain text.
➕ Addition
=A1+B1 adds the values in cells A1 and B1.
➖ Subtraction
=A1-B1 subtracts B1 from A1.
✖️ Multiplication
=A1*B1 multiplies A1 and B1 (use the * symbol).
➗ Division
=A1/B1 divides A1 by B1 (use the / symbol).
Σ AutoSum
A one-click button on the Home tab that instantly totals a column of numbers.
🪜 Steps to write a formula
- Click the empty cell where you want the answer to appear.
- Type =, then click the first cell (e.g. A1), type an operator (+, -, *, /), then click the second cell (e.g. B1).
- Press Enter — Excel instantly shows the calculated answer.
🪜 Steps to use AutoSum
- Click the empty cell just below or beside a list of numbers.
- Go to Home Tab → Editing Group → AutoSum (Σ).
- Press Enter to confirm the total.
Using Functions
A function is a ready-made formula with a name, like SUM or AVERAGE. It saves us from typing long formulas.
SUM
=SUM(A1:A5) adds up all the numbers in the range.
AVERAGE
=AVERAGE(A1:A5) finds the mean (average) of the numbers.
MAX
=MAX(A1:A5) finds the biggest number in the range.
MIN
=MIN(A1:A5) finds the smallest number in the range.
COUNT
=COUNT(A1:A5) counts how many cells have numbers in them.
PRODUCT
=PRODUCT(A1:A5) multiplies all the numbers in the range together.
ROUND
=ROUND(A1,0) rounds a number to the nearest whole number (or decimal places you choose).
COUNTIF
=COUNTIF(A1:A5,">75") counts only the numbers that match a condition — like counting Pass marks.
TODAY
=TODAY() shows today's date automatically, and updates itself every day.
🪜 Steps to use a function
- Click the empty cell where the answer should appear.
- Type = followed by the function name, e.g. =SUM(.
- Select the range of cells (e.g. drag from A1 to A5), then type ) to close the brackets.
- Press Enter to see the result.
🪜 Steps to use a function with a condition (COUNTIF)
- Type =COUNTIF( then select the range of cells, e.g. A1:A5.
- Type a comma, then the condition in quotes, e.g. ">75" to count marks above 75.
- Close the brackets and press Enter — Excel counts only the matching cells.
| A (Marks) |
|---|
| 85 |
| 72 |
| 91 |
| 64 |
| 78 |
Practical Tips & Tricks
A few handy Excel shortcuts that save a lot of time — try them live below!
✥ Fill Handle
The tiny square at a cell's bottom-right corner — drag it to copy data or continue a number pattern.
↕️ Sort
Arranges data from smallest to largest (or A to Z) with one click.
📊 Insert Chart
Turns a list of numbers into a colourful bar, line or pie chart.
🧊 Freeze Panes
Keeps the header row visible on screen while you scroll down a long sheet.
💾 Save Fast
Press Ctrl+S any time to quickly save your workbook.
🪜 Steps to AutoFill a pattern
- Type the first two numbers of a pattern in two cells (e.g. 2 and 4).
- Select both cells, then find the small green square (Fill Handle) at the bottom-right corner.
- Drag it down — Excel continues the pattern automatically (6, 8, 10...).
🪜 Steps to Sort data
- Select the column of data.
- Go to Data Tab → Sort A to Z (▲) or Sort Z to A (▼).
- Excel rearranges the rows to match.
🪜 Steps to insert a Chart
- Select the data you want to show as a chart.
- Go to Insert Tab → Charts Group and pick a chart type (e.g. Column Chart).
- Excel draws the chart instantly on the sheet.
📝 Practice Zone
Test what you learned! Tap "Show Answer" to check yourself.
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