A hydrogenic model with Zener screening constant is used to calculate generalized oscillator strengths of K-shell ionization, the optical values showing good agreement with X-ray absorption data. Energy-differential, partial, integral and total K-shell cross-sections are computed using the Born approximation for elements of low atomic number hombarded by electrons of energy >30 keV. The results appear to be consitent with Auger, X-ray and energy-loss measurements. The calculations can be performed rapidly using a short computer program, enabling quantitative results to be obtained from electron energy loss spectrometry. © 1979 North-Holland Publishing Company.