The writing area is where students write their answers to the questions in an exam.

It's possible to attach images and similar directly into the writing area, but this requires various tools to be activated for the student.

For more information on how to activate tools and which tools are available, you can read here:

List of all available tools/accommodations

Activating the writing area

The writing area is automatically activated in step 3 when you as a teacher create an exam based on the following exam formats:

• PDF exam
• Free text exam
• Skip digital questions

It's not possible to activate the writing area for individual students or on the exam format "Use question types".

Choose content in the writing area

You have the option to predefine the content of the writing area. By default, the writing area is empty, but you can choose to display exam questions or other content instead.

Please note that students will be able to edit and delete everything in the writing area.

The following types of writing areas are available:

Yes, empty - means the writing area is left blank
Yes, define content - means you choose the content yourself. Edit the writing area by clicking "Edit" to the right of the drop-down menu.
Yes, mirror exam questions - mean the text in the exam is copied and also inserted into the writing area.
No - means students do not have access to the writing area.

Add a word limit

You'll find the "Limit number of words" function in step 3 when you arecreating/editing an exam.

Click "Limit words" to get a dialogue where you can add your limitations. 

Please note that the limitation will work as a warning. The student will be able to continue writing even if they reach the limit.

Common questions about the writing area:

Question:

I have created an exam, but now, when students enter the exam, they don't see the writing area. What is the issue and how do I fix it?

Answer:

The most common reason students don't see the writing area is that you have created an exam based on question types. In such an exam, the writing area is not available.

To resolve this, create a new exam and choose one of the exam formats: "Upload or create a document" or "Skip digital exam questions." In these exam formats, the writing area is activated automatically.