Shortening a postcode to a region with LEFT
Name:
Date:
Class:
A
Quick Questions
Shade in the A or B circle for each question.
1. Cell C2 holds the postcode 3052. What does =LEFT(C2,2) return?
2. Why might a school survey shorten postcodes with =LEFT(C2,2)?
3. Which formula keeps only the first 2 characters of the postcode in C2?
4. Postcodes like 0870 start with a zero. Why should they be stored as text?
5. You wrote =LEFT(C2,2) in D2. How do you shorten the other postcodes in the column?
B
Match the Pairs
Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.
| Left column | Right column | |
|---|---|---|
| 1=LEFT(C2,2) | ARIGHT keeps the last 2 characters, which is not a region. Use LEFT to keep the first 2 digits. | |
| 2=LEFT(C2,1) | B=LEFT(C2,2) | |
| 3Shorten the postcode in C2 to its first 2 digits so a precise location becomes a region | CWithout a number, LEFT keeps only 1 character. Add the number of characters to keep, such as =LEFT(C2,2). | |
| 4Copy the shortening formula down to the next student's postcode in row 3 by changing the cell reference | DKeeps only the first character of the postcode in C2, giving an even wider region | |
| 5=LEFT(C2) | E=LEFT(C3,2) | |
| 6=RIGHT(C2,2) | FKeeps only the first 2 characters of the postcode in C2, giving a wider region |
C
Definitions
=LEFT(C2,2)
D
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.
1.
=____(C2,2)
2.
=LEFT(__,2)
3.
=LEFT(C2,_)
4.
=LEFT(__,2)
5.
=LEFT(_7,2)
E
Spot the Error
Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.
Question 1
A
C1: Postcode
B
D1: Region
C
D2: =LEFT(C2,2)
D
D3: =LEFT(C2,2)
Question 2
A
Postcode is stored as text
B
C2 holds 3052
C
D2: =LEFT(C2,2)
D
D2 shows 305
Question 3
A
C1: Postcode
B
D1: Region
C
D2: =LEFT(2,C2)
Question 4
A
Postcode in C2 is 0870
B
Format column C as Text
C
=LEFT(C2,2) gives 87
Question 5
A
D2: =RIGHT(C2,2)
B
C2 is 2000
C
D2 shows 20
Answer Key
Shortening a postcode to a region with LEFT
Section A: Quick Questions
Q1
A — 30
Q2
B — A shorter code shows a wider region, so it is harder to find where someone lives
Q3
A — =LEFT(C2,2)
Q4
B — A number would drop the leading zero and show 870
Q5
A — Copy the formula down so it becomes =LEFT(C3,2), =LEFT(C4,2) and so on
Section B: Match the Pairs
Q1
=LEFT(C2,2) → Keeps only the first 2 characters of the postcode in C2, giving a wider region
Q2
=LEFT(C2,1) → Keeps only the first character of the postcode in C2, giving an even wider region
Q3
Shorten the postcode in C2 to its first 2 digits so a precise location becomes a region → =LEFT(C2,2)
Q4
Copy the shortening formula down to the next student's postcode in row 3 by changing the cell reference → =LEFT(C3,2)
Q5
=LEFT(C2) → Without a number, LEFT keeps only 1 character. Add the number of characters to keep, such as =LEFT(C2,2).
Q6
=RIGHT(C2,2) → RIGHT keeps the last 2 characters, which is not a region. Use LEFT to keep the first 2 digits.
Section C: Definitions
Q1
=LEFT(C2,2) — Keeps only the first 2 characters of the postcode in cell C2, so an exact location becomes a wider region. This helps protect privacy.Section D: Fill in the Blanks
Q1
=LEFT(C2,2)Q2
=LEFT(C2,2)Q3
=LEFT(C2,2)Q4
=LEFT(C3,2)Q5
=LEFT(C7,2)Section E: Spot the Error
Q1
D — When the formula is copied down, each row must point to its own postcode. Row 3 should use C3, so it should be =LEFT(C3,2). Using C2 gives every row the same region.
Q2
D — LEFT(C2,2) keeps only the first 2 characters. For 3052 it shows 30, not 305.
Q3
C — The arguments are in the wrong order. LEFT needs the cell first, then the number of characters, so it should be =LEFT(C2,2).
Q4
C — LEFT takes characters from the start of the text. For 0870 the first 2 characters are 08, not 87.
Q5
A — RIGHT keeps the last 2 characters, which would give 00. To keep the start of the postcode as a region, use =LEFT(C2,2).