How to create a question

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This is available for Authors.

The basics of authoring a question remain the same regardless of the question type you are authoring. Every question type has a title and a question editor. In Inspera Assessment, you can create questions in the context of a question set, or independently of the question set. 

This article guides you through the initial process of creating a question, explains the different question type, and details the common general options available when editing a question.

Create a new question

  • To begin authoring a new question:

    1. Go the Author module and select Question

    2. Click on Create new and select New Author (Recommended)

      Create a new question.png

    3. In the Create New tab, select a question type and click Create after updating the title to your desired name, or choose Skip if you want to keep the suggested title.

      Creat Question- New Author- Step 2.png

    4. You can rename a question by clicking on the Menu in the top-right corner and selecting Rename Question.

      Renaming the Question Title.png

  • To begin authoring a new question:

    1. Go the Author module and select Questions
    2. Click on Create new
    3. Choose a Question Type

Understanding question types

When you create a question, Inspera Assessment provides access to a variety of question types available within your tenant. These types are broadly categorized by how they are marked:

  • Questions where the system can grade responses automatically (e.g., Multiple Choice, Matching). Choose these for objective assessments with clear correct answers, ideal for large cohorts or efficient grading.
  • Questions that require graders to assess responses (e.g., Essay, File Upload). Select these for qualitative assessments, evaluating critical thinking, creativity, or detailed problem-solving that automated systems cannot capture.
  • Questions that do not contribute to a score (e.g., information texts, instructions). Use these to provide context, instructions, or gather non-scored feedback within a test. They do not allow you to set marks.

Inspera Assessment offers 26 types of questions, 17 of which are automatically marked, 7 require manual marking, and 2 are not marked. Question types that are not marked, don't have the choice to set marks.

How to edit a question

  • After you create a question, you'll enter its edit mode. While the specific options might vary for each question type, the overall layout and core editing functionalities remain consistent. 

    Create question.png

    Here are the standard editing features you'll encounter, regardless of the question type: 

    1. The Question title appears at the top left when viewing the question.

      We suggest you include information about the topic in the title, especially since questions can be reused across different question sets and copied over time.

      Example: "Language Test", or "English Language Questions".

    2. You can translate your question to other languages by clicking the cogwheel on the right side of the question title.

      For more information, read How to translate individual questions or How to translate question sets. 

    3. We recommend that you always preview your question to see how it will appear to candidates. Click on the eye icon in the top right corner to preview.

      For more information on previewing questions and testing answers, refer to the Preview Questions and Test Correct Answers article.

    4. Changes in edit mode are not saved automatically. It's important to always save your work frequently to avoid losing progress without leaving the editor. Clicking Save & Close allows you to exit editing mode. 

    5. Write your question in the text field currently marked "Your question here". This is a free text area that uses a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. Ex: "___ apple a day keeps the doctor away".

      The toolbar above allows you to insert mathematical expressions (LaTeX), files, tables, links, PDFs, images, videos, and audio clips into your question text. 

      For more details on the toolbar options, see article "Question editor toolbar overview."

    6. The response area, located under the question text, is where candidates provide their answers.

      The position of the response area is consistent across question types, but the interaction methods will vary depending on the specific question type. 

      Clicking on response area will display other selections in the right side panel that are specific to the selected question type.

      In the example image the question type is multiple choice. This consists of an answer area with four alternatives, one of which is correct. If you click in the answer area, the panel on the right will give you options and settings for this.

    7. The General options are located in the right side panel. While the options may vary, you will typically see five main choices:

      • Marks: For manually marked questions, you define the maximum achievable marks here. For automatically marked questions, various marking options are available. (For more information, see the "Basic method for question scoring" and "Advanced method for question scoring" articles.)
      • Main Illustration: Use this to insert illustrative media into the heading area of your question.
      • PDF Panel: Add a PDF document as a stimulus displayed to the left of the question. (For more information, refer to the "How to Attach PDF Documents to Questions" article.)
      • Labels: Add labels to categorize your questions, for example, by specific topics. (For more details, refer to the "Using Labels to Organize Questions" article.)
      • Advanced: Enable whenever the question is considered as Mandatory question. Candidates will be unable to submit the test if this question is unattempted. (For more details, refer to the "Mandatory Questions" article.)
      • Drawing: The Drawing tool allows students to demonstrate knowledge visually in assessments.(For more details, refer to the "Designing Accessible Drawing Questions" article.)

      To learn more about General options, visit our Help Center article "An Overview of Question Options in Inspera Assessment."

  • After you create a question, you'll enter its edit mode. While the specific options might vary for each question type, the overall layout and core editing functionalities remain consistent. 

    Skjermbilde 2026-05-04 092239.png

    Here are the standard editing features you'll encounter, regardless of the question type: 

    1. The Question title appears at the top left when viewing the question.

      We suggest you include information about the topic in the title, especially since questions can be reused across different question sets and copied over time.

      Example: "GEO100 autumn 2020 - Ice age", or "Ice age 2020".

    2. You can translate your question to other languages by clicking the cogwheel on the right side of the question title.

      For more information, read How to translate individual questions or How to translate question sets. 

    3. We recommend that you always preview your question to see how it will appear to candidates. Click on the eye icon in the top right corner to preview.

      For more information on previewing questions and testing answers, refer to the Preview Questions and Test Correct Answers article.

    4. Changes in edit mode are not saved automatically. It's important to always save your work frequently to avoid losing progress without leaving the editor. Clicking Save & Close allows you to exit editing mode. 

    5. Write your question in the text field currently marked "Replace with question text". This is a free text area that uses a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. 

      The toolbar above allows you to insert mathematical expressions (LaTeX), files, tables, links, PDFs, images, videos, and audio clips into your question text. 

      For more details on the toolbar options, see article "An Overview of the Question Editor Toolbar."

    6. The response area, located under the question text, is where candidates provide their answers.

      The position of the response area is consistent across question types, but the interaction methods will vary depending on the specific question type. 

      Clicking on response area will display other selections in the right side panel that are specific to the selected question type.

      In the example image the question type is multiple choice. This consists of an answer area with four alternatives, one of which is correct. If you click in the answer area, the panel on the right will give you options and settings for this.

    7. The General options are located in the right side panel. While the options may vary, you will typically see five main choices:

      • Marks: For manually marked questions, you define the maximum achievable marks here. For automatically marked questions, various marking options are available. (For more information, see the "Question Scoring Basic" and "Advanced Guide on How to Set Marks on Automatically Marked Questions" articles.)
      • Mark Scheme: You can add a mark scheme to provide guidance for graders during the grading process. (For more information, refer to the "How to Use Mark Schemes for Question Grading" article.)
      • Main Illustration: Use this to insert illustrative media into the heading area of your question. (For detailed instructions, see the "How to Add Main Illustrations to Questions" article.)
      • PDF Panel: Add a PDF document as a stimulus displayed to the left of the question. (For more information, refer to the "How to Attach PDF Documents to Questions" article.)
      • Labels: Add labels to categorize your questions, for example, by specific topics. (For more details, refer to the "Using Labels to Organize Questions" article.)

      To learn more about General options, visit our Help Center article "An Overview of Question Options in Inspera Assessment."

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