By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Lay out a one-page CV that is clear, honest and easy to scan.
- Write a formal letter with the correct parts and a suitable ending.
- Build a short report with headings, a table, a list, a header and page numbers.
- Check any document against a formatting quality checklist and fix the problems.
You now know the tools: styles, margins, lists, tables, checking and PDF export. This project uses them on three documents that almost everyone needs sooner or later. All the people and details are fictional, so you can practise freely, and then replace them with your own when you are ready. Good documents are rarely about fancy design. They are clear, consistent and easy for a busy reader to scan in less than a minute.
Plan before you format
Decide three things before you type: who will read it, what you want them to do after reading, and how they will receive it (printed, emailed as a PDF or edited in Word). A CV is read for about half a minute, so it must be short and scannable. A formal letter must be polite and exact. A report must be easy to navigate. Type the content first in plain text, then apply styles. Formatting as you go is slower, and it hides mistakes in what you wrote.
Project 1: a one-page CV
A CV (curriculum vitae) is a short summary of who you are, what you can do and what you have done. Keep it to one page if you have little experience, and two at most. Put the most useful information first, use clear section headings, and describe what you did with short action verbs: organised, helped, wrote, managed. Be honest. Employers check.
- Marker 1: Name as the Title style
- Marker 2: One line of contact details
- Marker 3: Heading 1 for each section
- Marker 4: Bullets with what you did and when
Read this figure as text
A simulated one-page CV with a name, contact line, profile, experience, education and skills sections.
A simulated A4 CV. At the top, the name Amina Wanjiru as the title, and a contact line: Nakuru, amina.wanjiru@example.com, 0700 000000. A Heading 1 reads Profile, followed by two sentences about a careful, reliable learner with computer skills. A Heading 1 reads Experience, with two bullets: Volunteer helper, Riverside Community Library, 2025, shelving books and helping visitors use computers; and Class monitor, Riverside Secondary School, 2024, keeping the register. A Heading 1 reads Education, with one line: Computer Basics Certificate in progress. A Heading 1 reads Skills, with a line: typing, spreadsheets, email, careful record keeping. Marker 1 points to the name. Marker 2 points to the contact line. Marker 3 points to the Experience heading. Marker 4 points to the experience bullets.
Build the CV
Step 1: Set up the page
Open a new document. Set A4, margins of about 2 cm, and a plain font such as Liberation Sans or Arial at 11 points.
You should see: A clean page with comfortable margins.
Step 2: Type the content
Type the name, one contact line, then four sections: Profile, Experience, Education and Skills. Use the fictional details in the figure or your own made-up ones.
You should see: All the words are in place, unformatted.
Step 3: Apply the styles
Apply Title to the name, Heading 1 to each section name and a bulleted list to experience items. Centre the name and contact line.
You should see: The sections stand out and the layout is consistent.
Step 4: Trim to one page
If it spills over, shorten sentences, not font size. Do not go below 10 points.
You should see: Everything fits on one page.
Step 5: Save two copies
Save as
cv-amina-wanjiru-2026-10.odt(or .docx) and export a PDF of the same name to send.You should see: You have an editable file and a PDF.
Apply styles and make the PDF
In LibreOffice Writer
Step 1: Apply a style
Click in the line you want to change, then choose a style from the Paragraph Style box at the left of the toolbar, such as Title or Heading 1.
You should see: The line changes to match the style.
Step 2: Save the editable copy
Press Ctrl+S, type the file name and click Save. Keep the format as ODF Text Document (.odt).
You should see: The title bar shows your file name.
Step 3: Export the PDF
Choose File, then Export As, then Export as PDF…, then click Export and Save.
You should see: A .pdf file with the same name appears beside your .odt file.
In Microsoft Word
Step 1: Apply a style
Click in the line, then on the Home tab choose a style such as Title or Heading 1 in the Styles gallery.
You should see: The line changes to match the style.
Step 2: Save the editable copy
Press Ctrl+S, choose a folder, type the file name and click Save. Word saves it as a .docx file.
You should see: The title bar shows your file name.
Step 3: Export the PDF
Choose File, then Export, then Create PDF/XPS Document, then click Publish.
You should see: A .pdf file with the same name appears beside your .docx file.
Project 2: a formal letter
A formal letter has a fixed order, so the reader knows where to look. In the UK and Kenya, the usual order is: your address, the date, the recipient's name and address, a greeting, a short subject line, the body, a closing phrase and your name. Use Dear Mr Kimani with Yours sincerely when you know the name, and Dear Sir or Madam with Yours faithfully when you do not. Keep paragraphs short: say why you are writing, give the details, say what you want to happen.
- Marker 1: Your address, then the date
- Marker 2: Greeting that matches the closing
- Marker 3: Subject line says the purpose
- Marker 4: Closing phrase and name
Read this figure as text
A simulated formal letter showing sender, date, recipient, greeting, subject, body and closing.
A simulated A4 letter. At the top right, the sender's details: Amina Wanjiru, 12 Example Road, Nakuru. Below, the date, 23 October 2026. Then the recipient: Mr J Kimani, Riverside Community Library, 4 Sample Street, Nakuru. The greeting reads Dear Mr Kimani. A bold subject line reads Application for volunteer role. The body has two short paragraphs: the first says she is writing to apply, the second says she is free on Saturdays and attaches her CV. The closing reads Yours sincerely, followed by Amina Wanjiru. Marker 1 points to the sender block. Marker 2 points to the greeting. Marker 3 points to the subject line. Marker 4 points to the closing.
- Use Body Text for paragraphs, with a blank line of paragraph spacing between them (set spacing after the paragraph, not extra Enter presses).
- Left-align the text. Justified text can leave odd gaps between words.
- Leave room above the typed name for a signature if you will print the letter.
- Read it aloud, run the spellcheck and check the recipient's name, because a misspelt name spoils a good letter.
Project 3: a short report
A report is read in parts, not from start to finish, so its structure matters most. Give it a title, a one-paragraph summary at the start, headings for each topic, one table of facts, a short list of recommendations and page numbers. Use the same styles throughout.
| Week | Visitors |
| Week 1 | 120 |
| Week 2 | 135 |
| Week 3 | 150 |
| Week 4 | 160 |
- Marker 1: Header repeats on each page
- Marker 2: Summary first
- Marker 3: Table with a header row
- Marker 4: Footer page number
Read this figure as text
A simulated report page with a header, title, summary, heading, table and footer page number.
A simulated A4 report page. The header reads Riverside Library Visits. The title reads Library Visits in September. A Heading 1 reads Summary, with one paragraph saying that visits rose by a fifth in September. A Heading 1 reads Visits by week, followed by a table with columns Week and Visitors and rows Week 1 with 120, Week 2 with 135, Week 3 with 150, and Week 4 with 160. A Heading 1 reads Recommendation, and one bullet suggests opening on Saturday afternoons. The footer reads Page 1. Marker 1 points to the header. Marker 2 points to the summary. Marker 3 points to the table. Marker 4 points to the footer.
Build the report
Step 1: Type the content
Write the summary, the table figures and one recommendation in plain text. The figures are fictional.
You should see: All the words and numbers are present.
Step 2: Apply styles
Use Title, Heading 1, Body Text and a bulleted list. Set line spacing to 1.15.
You should see: The structure is visible at a glance.
Step 3: Insert the table
Insert a table with 2 columns and 5 rows, type the figures and make the first row bold.
You should see: The table sits under its heading.
Step 4: Add header and footer
Insert a header with the report name and a footer with a page number field.
You should see: Both repeat on every page.
Step 5: Check and export
Run the spellcheck, look at print preview and export a PDF.
You should see: A PDF that matches your preview.
The formatting quality checklist
Before any document leaves your hands, run through the same short list. It catches most of the faults that make a document look careless.
| Check | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Purpose | The reader can tell in a few seconds what the document is for |
| Fonts | One or two fonts; body text 11 or 12 points; headings consistent |
| Styles | Real heading styles and Body Text, not hand-made looks |
| Spacing and margins | Margins of about 2 to 2.5 cm; space between paragraphs set by style |
| Lists and tables | Made with the proper tools; header row in tables |
| Pages | Page numbers on long documents; no headings stranded at the bottom of a page; no empty last page |
| Accuracy | Spellcheck run and text read aloud; names, dates and numbers checked |
| Accessibility | Alt text on pictures; good contrast; tagged PDF if the option is offered |
| Privacy and files | No unnecessary private details; a clear file name; a PDF made and opened |
- Five fonts and many colours
- Headings are only big text
- Spaces and blank lines for layout
- No page numbers
- Tiny text to squeeze onto one page
Hard to read and to change
- One or two fonts, one accent colour
- Real heading styles
- Spacing and alignment from styles
- Header and page numbers
- Readable text, trimmed content
Easy to scan and update
Read this figure as text
A comparison of a poorly formatted page and a well formatted page with their features listed.
Two columns. Column one, Poorly formatted: five fonts and many colours; headings are only big text; spaces and blank lines used for layout; no page numbers; tiny text to fit one page. Verdict: hard to read and hard to change. Column two, Well formatted: one or two fonts and one accent colour; real heading styles; spacing and alignment set by styles; page numbers and a header; sensible text size with content trimmed to fit. Verdict: easy to scan and easy to update.
Common mistakes
✖ Instead of: Formatting while still writing, and polishing the look before the words are right.
✔ Do this: Write and check the content first, then apply styles.
✖ Instead of: Mixing 'Dear Sir or Madam' with 'Yours sincerely'.
✔ Do this: Pair the greeting and closing: named person with sincerely; unnamed with faithfully.
✖ Instead of: Putting every private detail on a CV.
✔ Do this: Give only what the reader needs: a town, an email address and a phone number.
✖ Instead of: Sending a document without opening the PDF afterwards.
✔ Do this: Open the PDF you will send and scroll through every page.
If something goes wrong
- My CV is a few lines too long for one page.
- Shorten wordy lines, remove the least relevant item, or reduce spacing after paragraphs a little. Do not shrink the font below 10 points.
- My table splits across two pages.
- Add a page break before its heading, or shorten the text above it so that the table moves up. In Writer, Table Properties has a Text Flow option to keep rows together.
- The recipient's address looks messy.
- Press Shift+Enter for a line break inside one paragraph so that an address stays together as a single block, instead of using many separate paragraphs.
- The PDF looks different from the document.
- Check print preview before exporting and make sure that fonts are common ones. Export again after fixing the document.
Key terms
- CV
- A short document listing your education, work and skills, used when applying for jobs.
- Paragraph style
- A saved set of formatting, such as font and spacing, that you apply to a whole paragraph in one click.
- Header and footer
- Text repeated at the top and bottom of every page in a document.
- Table (document)
- A grid of rows and columns inside a document used to arrange information.
- Alt text
- A short written description of a picture, read aloud for people who cannot see it.
Practise it for real
Reading is not the same as being able to do it. Complete these on your own computer, then tick only what you have actually done. These ticks are your own honest record: nothing checks them for you.
Produce the three documents
Build the fictional CV, the formal letter and the report in this lesson, following the steps and figures. Give each file a clear name with a date, save them in a folder called documents-project, and export each as a PDF. Open each PDF and compare it with the checklist table in this lesson.
Challenge: rescue a messy draft
Open a document with at least ten lines of made-up text and deliberately ruin it: use three fonts, make the headings by hand, use the space bar to centre one line, type the bullets yourself and leave out page numbers. Then repair it using only styles, alignment, real lists and a footer page number. Write down five changes that you made and why.
Knowledge check
6 questions. You need 80% to pass. Mistakes here are part of learning, and you can retry as often as you like.
Summary
- Plan the reader, the purpose and the delivery before formatting.
- A CV is short and scannable; a formal letter has a fixed order; a report is built to be navigated.
- Match greetings and closings: sincerely with a name, faithfully without.
- Use styles, real lists, tables, headers and page numbers rather than hand formatting.
- Run the quality checklist and open your PDF before sending anything.
Checklist: can you do these?
Marking a lesson as read does not prove you can do it. Skills count as demonstrated when you pass the quiz (not yet) and complete the practical tasks (not yet).
Related lessons
References and further reading
Official sources for details that can change between versions.
- LibreOffice Writer guide (The Document Foundation)
- LibreOffice Help (The Document Foundation)
- Microsoft Word help and learning (Microsoft)