Try the example, then check the result.
Download the fictional material and follow the steps below. The video includes 2 marked screenshots from the English app, with illustrative diagrams for the other steps. Product controls may vary by version.
Check the answer before applying the method to your own data. How we review guides ↗
Watch the complete lesson.
The video includes 2 marked screenshots from the English app, with illustrative diagrams for the other steps. English captions. Product menus may differ in your account.
The fictional starter DOCX has a bold line named Verify the checklist. It looks like a section title but is styled Normal. Word builds an automatic table of contents from heading styles, so apply Heading 1 before inserting the automatic table. Use a disposable copy, then compare the fixed-style DOCX and answer check.
The expected outline
| Level | Entry |
|---|---|
| Heading 1 | Purpose |
| Heading 1 | Prepare the room |
| Heading 2 | Assign roles |
| Heading 1 | Run the drill |
| Heading 1 | Verify the checklist |
| Heading 1 | Record the outcome |
Swipe or scroll sideways to see every table column →
The starter has four Heading 1 paragraphs and one Heading 2. The fixed-style copy has five Heading 1 paragraphs and the same Heading 2. Page numbers are deliberately not part of the answer because layout can differ.
Fix the style, then build the automatic table
- Open a copy of the starter document in Word for the web. Its two contents-placeholder lines are plain text, not an automatic table.
- Delete those two placeholder lines. Put the cursor below the title.
- Select the Verify the checklist paragraph in the body. In Home → Styles, choose Heading 1. Bold alone is not enough.
- Return to the space below the title. Open References → Insert Table of Contents and insert an automatic list. If your account shows a different control, inspect the current References ribbon before proceeding.
- Check that Verify the checklist appears after Run the drill and before Record the outcome. The English Word for the web practice test produced this result after the Heading 1 change and automatic table insertion.
- Confirm Assign roles remains nested under Prepare the room as Heading 2. Compare against the fixed-style DOCX or answer check. Do not judge correctness by page number alone.
Pass check: five top-level entries, one nested entry, and a real Heading 1 style on Verify the checklist. A manually typed list with the same words does not pass because it cannot update from document headings.
If the entry still does not appear
- Make sure you selected the paragraph itself and applied Heading 1, rather than only changing font size or boldness.
- Make sure the contents list is automatic. Microsoft says a manual table of contents does not update from headings.
- If you edited styles after inserting an automatic table, update it before checking the result. Microsoft describes right-clicking the table and choosing Update Table of Contents in Word for the web; that alternate update path was not part of this captured practice test.
- If a Word web account lacks a control described here, use a disposable copy in desktop Word and verify the heading list there. Record the interface variant before revising a live document.
Sources and evidence
Reviewed 9 October 2026: Microsoft on adding a heading, inserting and updating a table of contents, including Word for the web, updating a table, and web/desktop feature comparison. The practice DOCX files were checked as valid Office archives with the intended paragraph styles. In a private fictional copy, English Word for the web showed Heading 1 applied to Verify the checklist and an automatic table with five top-level entries plus nested Assign roles. Two genuine app captures are recorded for scenes 4 and 5 in the capture manifest; the companion video includes them. Other panels are illustrative diagrams. The initial missing-entry state and right-click update path were not observed in this test.
Practice downloads.
The exercise files contain invented information. Save a local copy before editing.