You can use the Extended Text interactionsto create open response items.

See also:

  • For items with a limited number of correct responses, consider using the autoscored Text Entry Interaction which also supports math.
  • See Author Test Items for general instruction on item creation.


To create an Extended Test interaction:

  1. From the Editor tab, select Add Interaction, and then select Extended Text or Math Extended Text. 
  2. Under Settings, you can customize the text box in several ways:
    1. Format: Select plain to hide the formatting toolbar from students. 
    2. Editor Height: Select the number of lines allowed. 
    3. Character Counter: Set the counter to Count Up or Count Down. 
    4. Character Limit: Set the character limit. The default setting is 9000 characters.
      1. Character limits are still enforced even if the Character Counter is disabled.
    5. Toolbar Options List: Select which tools appear for students in the toolbar.
    6. Math Keyboard List: Select which math keyboards appear for students in the toolbar.
    7. Spellcheck: Check box to enable spellcheck. 
    8. Disable Paste: Check box to disable pasting text from a clipboard. This does not affect the student's ability to copy or cut text from the text box.
  3. Enter a value in Max Points.
  4. Select Save.


Sample Extended Text Item.

Scoring Settings

In Scoring Settings tab, select Manual Scoring, and add scoring Traits to score students across multiple traits. See also: Set Up Manual Scoring.


Tiny Link: https://support.assessment.pearson.com/x/NYD8Bg