This post summarizes some standard formats to store quiz questions.
List of Quiz Questions Formats
Quiz question formats feature on this post:
- Human-friendly
- Aiken
- GIFT
- BBQ
- Machine-friendly
- QTI
- Moodle XML
QTI
Question and Test Interoperability (QTI) is a standard format for the representation of assessment content and results.
It is XML-based. It has different versions, beig the latest 3.0 (2022) as of 2024. The most popular and compatible version are probably 1.2 (2002) and 2.1 (2012).
This discussion is about a user that comments that he cannot find an application to read QTI v3.
It was originally developed by IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS GLC), which is an industry and academic consortium that develops specifications for interoperable learning technology. IMS is now known as 1EdTech.
Software is certifiable in QTI after developer joins IMS GLC and under a cost.
Advantages:
- Structured
- Computer-friendly
- Compatible with many software
- Popularity
Disadvantages
- Not very human-friendly
Example of QTI syntax:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<assessmentTest xmlns="http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imsqtiasi_v3p0"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imsqtiasi_v3p0.xsd"
identifier="test1" title="Sample Test">
<testPart identifier="part1">
<assessmentSection identifier="section1">
<assessmentItem identifier="item1" title="Sample Multiple Choice Question" adaptive="false" timeDependent="false">
<itemBody>
<choiceInteraction responseIdentifier="RESPONSE" shuffle="true" maxChoices="1">
<prompt>What is the capital of France?</prompt>
<simpleChoice identifier="ChoiceA">Paris</simpleChoice>
<simpleChoice identifier="ChoiceB">London</simpleChoice>
<simpleChoice identifier="ChoiceC">Berlin</simpleChoice>
<simpleChoice identifier="ChoiceD">Madrid</simpleChoice>
</choiceInteraction>
</itemBody>
<responseDeclaration identifier="RESPONSE" cardinality="single" baseType="identifier">
<correctResponse>
<value>ChoiceA</value>
</correctResponse>
</responseDeclaration>
<outcomeDeclaration identifier="SCORE" cardinality="single" baseType="float">
<defaultValue>
<value>0</value>
</defaultValue>
</outcomeDeclaration>
</assessmentItem>
</assessmentSection>
</testPart>
</assessmentTest>There is a post about how to import QTI files to Canvas LMS.
It is used by Canvas, Blackboard, and IMS Global.
GIFT
GIFT (General Import Format Template) is a standard developed in the context of Moodle.
Advantages:
- Simplicity
- Human-friendly
- Compatible with images
- Compatible with math formulae (through LaTeX)
Disadvantages:
- Less structured
- Less exchangeable and robust
- It does not support additional data apart from questions, title and comments
Example:
//Comment line
::Question title
:: Question {
=A correct answer
~Wrong answer1
#A response to wrong answer1
~Wrong answer2
#A response to wrong answer2
~Wrong answer3
#A response to wrong answer3
~Wrong answer4
#A response to wrong answer4
}Bibliography:
GIFT with medias (sic), sometimes shorten as GIFTmedia, is an extension to GIFT that is used by the plugin of the same name to manage compressed .zip files that contains a GIFT file and related media (images, videos, sound, etc.).
Aiken
Aiken is a question format.
It is name after Dr. William “Bill” Aiken, that was a professor at Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire, USA, that created the format in the early 2000s. The Moodle community adopted the format.
It should use UTF-8 encoding to avoid errors.
Advantages:
- The simplest
- Human-friendly
Disadvantages:
- Less structured
- Less exchangeable and robust
- It does not support additional data apart from questions
- Less popular than GIFT
Example:
What is the correct answer to this question?
A. Is it this one?
B. Maybe this answer?
C. Possibly this one?
D. Must be this one!
ANSWER: D
Which LMS has the most quiz import formats?
A) Moodle
B) ATutor
C) Claroline
D) Blackboard
E) WebCT
F) Ilias
ANSWER: ABBQ
Blackboard Question Upload (BBQ) text files
Moodle XML Format
The Moodle XML Format is a Moodle-specific format for importing and exporting questions to be used with the Quiz module.
The format has been developed within the Moodle Community but other software may support it to a greater or lesser degree.
It is XML-based.
Advantages:
- Structured
- Computer-friendly
- Popular among Moodle community
- It is backed by a free and open source (FOSS) community
Disadvantages:
- Not as popular and mature as QTI.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<quiz>
<question type="multichoice">
<name>
<text>Capital of France</text>
</name>
<questiontext format="html">
<text><![CDATA[What is the capital of France?]]></text>
</questiontext>
<answer fraction="100">
<text><![CDATA[Paris]]></text>
<feedback>
<text>Correct!</text>
</feedback>
</answer>
<answer fraction="0">
<text><![CDATA[London]]></text>
<feedback>
<text>Incorrect.</text>
</feedback>
</answer>
<answer fraction="0">
<text><![CDATA[Berlin]]></text>
<feedback>
<text>Incorrect.</text>
</feedback>
</answer>
<answer fraction="0">
<text><![CDATA[Madrid]]></text>
<feedback>
<text>Incorrect.</text>
</feedback>
</answer>
</question>
</quiz>text2qti format
text2qti is a text-based format used in the free and open source (FOSS) project text2qti.
Example:
Quiz title: Addition
Quiz description: Checking addition.
Title: An addition question
Points: 2
1. What is 2+3?
... General question feedback.
+ Feedback for correct answer.
- Feedback for incorrect answer.
a) 6
... Feedback for this particular answer.
b) 1
... Feedback for this particular answer.
*c) 5
... Feedback for this particular answer.Common Cartridge
Common Cartridge (CC) is a set of standard related to course content, including quizzes and assessments.
It is published by 2EdTech, the same organization that publishes QTI. CC is more generic than QTI, that is specific for test and assessments.
IMS Common Cartridge (IMSCC) is one of its formats.
Quiz Conversion Software
- qti-package-maker for Python
- text2qti (Python)
- qti2text
- 2qti
qti-package-manager
qti-package-maker is a library written in Python.
It converts BBQ text files into QTI packages and other export formats (Canvas QTI v1.2, Blackboard QTI v2.1, human-readable text, and HTML self-tests).
qti-package-manager code repository
text2qti
text2qti is a tool written in Python.
qti2text
qti2text is a tool written in Python
gift2qti
gift2qti was developed by Charles Severance. It is written in PHP.
Quiz Question Software
Quiz Question Software featured on this post:
- QST
QST
Quiz / Survey / Test (QST) is a FOSS web-based application.