Hi



We are engaged in tutoring children who appear for their IGCSE examinations.
They have a subject ICT and this has a topic of Word processor i.e. MS Word.

We have MS office 2013 in our computer Lab.

I need some help re below issue:-

In their question papers they are given a two or three page document to be formatted and divided into 2 columns.

We are observing an erratic behaviour here in word 2013.

75% of students - when they select the paragraphs and convert it into two columns - get the last paragraph on the last page as continuous column .... whereas 25% students get the last 2 paragraphs as parallel columns - one paragraph on right column and one paragraph on the left column.

The school teachers are deducting marks for parallel paragraphs in two columns. They need only continuous column.

The alignment settings for columns are always justified.

Is there method thru which we can ensure that when we convert the paragraphs from one column to two columns - they set a continuous column on last page and not as parallel columns?

Help will be highly appreciated by our students.

Thanks & Regards
Pinesh Mehta

There is no such setting.
Properly, it should be balanced on the last page, IMO.

They may be selecting the text, not including the last paragraph mark, when they set the columns. This will give a continuous section break at the end and produce the effect you are seeing.

00 deleteme 1.png

Showing non-printing formatting marks in Microsoft Word

If they are selecting paragraphs they will get this result.

Columns

Bottom line, the teachers should be teaching students to do their work with the paragraph marks displayed.

Also, if they simply click in the document and set two columns, they will not get the section break.

You may want to have someone look at a good style manual on the unbalanced column issue, though.

If your students work in documents with multiple sections (most long documents) the columns will end up balanced in most cases.

Cross-posted at: https://www.office-forums.com/thread...olumn.2350264/
For cross-posting etiquette, please read: http://www.excelguru.ca/content.php?184

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]