The Essay question type is a text editor often used for questions that require longer text responses. In addition to basic text, you can insert bullet points, tables, formulas, and drawings in your answer.

This article will cover the various functionalities available in the text editor toolbar.

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  Click "Expand" to view the text editor in full-screen mode. When you do this, the question text will no longer be visible. To return to the normal view and see the question text again, press the Expand button once more.

  This mode is advisable for writing long texts, as the editor fills most of your screen, and the toolbar will always remain visible at the top. This prevents you from having to scroll up to reach the toolbar when writing a long answer in normal view.

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  The Temporary Backup Snapshots feature allows you to revert to an earlier version of Essay questions. A new backup is automatically created every 15 minutes as long as you are actively typing in the same question. The backups are stored locally in your browser's memory.

  This means:

  • It works both online and offline.
  • You can navigate between questions without resetting the backups.
  • The temporarily stored backups are only available while you are in the same session. The list of temporary backups is cleared once you log out.

  If you restore an earlier version, your current version will be saved, so that you optionally can return to it later.  

  

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  By pressing the Edit formula button, you can insert formulas into the Essay question. 

  The formula editor contains two tabs: Basic and Advanced.

  Basic

  Advanced

  It is possible to insert characters from Advanced into the formulas under Basic. 
  Press "Done" to insert the formula into your answer. 

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  When you press the "Table" button, the "Table Properties" window opens:

  Rows/Columns: Select the number of rows and columns. Heading: Insert headings in the table. Headings can be inserted in the first row, first column or both.  Border size: Determine the thickness of the frame in pixels. If you set the value to 0, the dashes will not appear.  Caption: Write a caption for the table. The caption will appear above the table.  Width: Specify the width of the table. Entering a number in the text box sets the width in pixels. You can also use units such as %, in, cm, mm, em, ex, pt or pc. If you select 100%, it will always fill the entire text box in width and be responsive.

  Tip: You can use a borderless table to organize the text. If you want to indent your text (where you would use the tab key in regular word processing programs), you may want to place a table in the background without a frame size. Then you can use the columns as indents. 

  Edit the table

  You can edit the table after you create it by right-clicking on it. This opens an action menu that allows you to edit the entire table, insert multiple rows and columns, and edit individual cells. For full control of your table, set the cell size under Cell Properties. 

  

   

• You can only use spell check if the feature has been enabled for the test.

  The spell checker will underline misspelt words as you type. Hover over an underlined word to see and apply suggestions, or open the proofreading dialogue to see all suggestions in one place.

  Managing the Spell checker

  Hover over the circle to see the alternatives. Click on "Disable" To disable the spell checker. You can enable it again later. Click on "Settings" to change language, and to see and select Ignore Options. Click on "Proofread in dialogue" to see suggested words, and to ignore suggestions.

  In the proofreading dialogue (4) you can select suggestions by clicking on the word you want to use. When you have selected a word, the dialogue will show the next suggestion.

  Additional options

  In addition, you have the option to: Scroll through all suggestions Ignore all suggestions Add word to dictionary After you select "Ignore all suggestions" or "Add word to dictionary," the system will display the next spelling suggestion.

• The text editor lets you keep track of how many words you have written. The word count is displayed on the right bottom corner. 

  

  Maximum number of words

  In some cases, you may be asked not to type more than a certain number of words. The restriction then appears as <number of words written>/<maximum allowed words>. 

  • Example: Words: 66/200. Here the limit is set to 200 words, and you have typed 66 words.

  When the maximum limit is reached, the indicator turns red, and you are not allowed to type more words.

  • Example: Words: 200/200. 

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  This option may not be available, depending on your institution's test settings.

  Draw freehand drawings using you mouse. If you have a touch screen, you can use the stylus or your finger. To insert the drawing into the text box, click "Save and close". To continue drawing or edit your drawing, click the drawing and then click the drawing icon.

  Drawing tool

  

  1. You can draw with freehand, create different shapes, use an eraser and insert text. 
  2. Choose the thickness of the pencil or/and the frames on a figure.
  3. Set colors:
     • Stroke: Color of the frame around shapes.
     • Fill: Fill color of shapes. 
     • Bg: Background colors on the canvas.
  If you are going to set a color or thickness of a shape's border or drawing, this must be selected before you start to draw.

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  You can align the text in your essay to the left, centre, right, or justify it evenly across the page for a clean and organised look.

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  You can indent the text in your essay to create a visual separation between paragraphs or sections for better readability and structure.