CTE Workshop Proceedings, 2019, Vol. 6: CTE-2018, pp. 529-540 529 

___________________ 
Copyright © 2019 for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons License 
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). 

Import test questions into Moodle LMS 

Iryna S. Mintii1[0000-0003-3586-4311], Svitlana V. Shokaliuk1[0000-0003-3774-1729], 
Tetiana A. Vakaliuk2[0000-0001-6825-4697], Mykhailo M. Mintii1[0000-0002-0488-5569] 

and Vladimir N. Soloviev1[0000-0002-4945-202X] 

1 Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University, 54, Gagarina Ave., Kryvyi Rih, 50086, Ukraine 
2 Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University, 103, Chudnivska Str., Zhytomyr, 10005, Ukraine 

irina.mintiy@kdpu.edu.ua, shokalyuk@kdpu.edu.ua, 
{tetianavakaliuk, mikhail.mintii9, vnsoloviev2016}@gmail.com 

Abstract. The purpose of the study is to highlight the theoretical and 
methodological aspects of preparing the test questions of the most common types 
in the form of text files for further import into learning management system 
(LMS) Moodle. The subject of the research is the automated filling of the Moodle 
LMS test database. 

The objectives of the study: to analyze the import files of test questions, their 
advantages and disadvantages; to develop guidelines for the preparation of test 
questions of common types in the form of text files for further import into Moodle 
LMS. 

The action algorithms for importing questions and instructions for submitting 
question files in such formats as Aiken, GIFT, Moodle XML, “True/False” 
questions, “Multiple Choice” (one of many and many of many), “Matching”, 
with an open answer – “Numerical” or “Short answer” and “Essay” are offered 
in this article. The formats for submitting questions, examples of its designing 
and developed questions were demonstrated in view mode in Moodle LMS. 

Keywords: Moodle LMS, Import Questions, Aiken, GIFT, Moodle XML, 
Moodle Quiz. 

1 Introduction 

Pedagogical testing, due to its high technological and informative content, has surely 
become a leading method of research into the structure of educational achievement [4, 
p. 13]. Evidence of it is the introduction in the system of general secondary education 
external independent assessment and state final certification [7]. Computer-based 
testing is considered to be the most standardized and objective method of monitoring 
and evaluating learning outcomes [9]. Requirements for computer testing include: 

1. testing variability; 
2. prompt submission of student diagnostic results; 
3. prompt processing of test results; 
4. application of adaptive testing algorithm; 
5. accumulation of test results and analysis of their dynamics; 

mailto:shokalyuk@kdpu.edu.ua


530 CTE Workshop Proceedings, 2019, Vol. 6: CTE-2018, pp. 529-540 

6. dynamic design of tests [4, p. 18]. 

Computerized testing at Moodle LMS enables to meet most of these requirements – 
generating test questions randomly from an existing bank, automatically mixing the 
order of test questions and answer options (alternatives), having different assessment 
options (“adaptive mode”, “deferred feedback”, “immediate feedback”, etc.), recording 
the results of each test attempt at evaluation logs and more. 

A considerable number of questions are required to provide meaningful validity for 
the test. However, developing of such questions in Moodle LMS directly in the browser 
is time consuming – it takes a lot of time and attention. You can significantly reduce 
the time for filling a bank of test questions of considerable volume by preparing and 
importing questions in the form of a text file that corresponds to one of the modern 
formats for the exchange of test tasks – Aiken format, Blackboard, Embedded answers 
(Cloze), Examview, GIFT format, Missing word format, Moodle XML format and etc. 

The purpose of this article is to highlight the theoretical and methodological aspects 
of preparing the test questions of the most common types in the form of text files for 
further import into Moodle LMS. 

2 Import questions from file 

This article examines the peculiarities of preparing for import test questions of the most 
commonly used types – “True/False”, “Multiple Choice” (“one of many” and “many of 
many”), the question of “Matching”, an open-ended question (“Numerical” or “Short 
answer”) or “Essay” in Aiken, GIFT and Moodle XML formats (Fig. 1). 

 

Fig. 1. Import page of questions from the file 



CTE Workshop Proceedings, 2019, Vol. 6: CTE-2018, pp. 529-540 531 

The Aiken format is extremely simple [1]. However, only “Multiple Choice” questions 
can be prepared in this format with one correct answer. The detailed algorithm for 
preparing and importing questions in Aiken format is shown in Table 1. 

Table 1. The algorithm of actions for import in Aiken format 

Step 1 
Open the window for any text editor (or processor) to work 

Step 2 
Make a list of test questions and answer options consistently (one after another) strictly 
in the format: 

The text of the question 
A. correct answer 
B. wrong answer 1 
C. wrong answer 2 
D. wrong answer 3 
ANSWER: A 

Note. 

1. The number of alternatives to choose the correct answer cannot exceed 10 
2. There is no need to waste time choosing the correct answer (variation A, B, C, or 

D), since in Moodle, mixing or not mixing alternatives is configured and performed 
automatically on the test options page 

Step 3 
Save the file as a text document *, ** in Unicode encoding mode (UTF-8) 
 
Note. 
* In text editor Notepad: File → Save → File type: Text documents; Encoding: 
Unicode (UTF-8) 
** In text processor MS Word: File → Save → File Type: Plain Text; Encoding: 
Unicode (UTF-8) 

Step 4 
In Moodle (on the relevant course page), import the saved file to the bank issues by 
selecting the format of the Aiken file (Fig. 1): 
4.1. Control Panel → Bank Issues → Import 
4.2. File format: Aiken 
4.3. Import questions from a file: Import → Select file ... → ... 
4.4. After the message is resolved from the import file and the successful import of all 
issues is completed, click Continue 
 
The GIFT format is much more powerful than Aiken, because besides preparing 
different types of questions (“True/False”, “Multiple Choice”, “Matching”, 
“Numerical”, “Short Answer”, “Essay”, etc.), it also has the ability to add question 
names, percentages, graphics, comments [2], and etc. 



532 CTE Workshop Proceedings, 2019, Vol. 6: CTE-2018, pp. 529-540 

The detailed algorithm for preparing and importing questions in GIFT format is 
shown in Table 2. 

Table 2. The algorithm of actions for import in GIFT format 

Step 1 
Open the window for any text editor (or processor) to work. 

Step 2 
Make a list of test questions and answer options according to the sample and 
instructions in Table 4: 

The text of the question 
{ 
answers 
} 

or (if necessary, enter the name of the question): 

:: The title of the question :: The text of the question 
{ 
answers 
} 

Step 3 
Save the file as a text document in Unicode encoding mode (UTF-8) 

Step 4 
Import saved file (in case of use of images – archive) to the bank of questions, choosing 
the format of the file GIFT (Fig. 1) 
 
Preparing Moodle XML questions is not easy at first sight. An example of a file 
fragment (resulting from export) is shown in Fig. 2. 

The ability to work with an intuitive interface while creating questions of various 
types (with the addition of images, question names, comments, category creation, etc.) 
in the MS Word text processor environment necessitates the use of the Moodle Quiz 
macro (Fig. 3) [6]. 

The detailed algorithm for preparing and importing questions in Moodle XML 
format using the Word template with the Moodle Quiz macro is shown in Table 3. 

Table 3. The algorithm of actions for import in the format of Moodle XML 

Step 1 
Open the template with the macro moodle_quiz_v21 [56] in the MS Word processor 
window, if necessary, unlock the macros. For successful execution of actions in the 
tab of tabs MS Word will appear tab Moodle Quiz (Fig. 3) 

Step 2 
Make a question using the appropriate tools of the Moodle Quiz tab (see Table 4) 

Step 3 
Use the tool Check Layout (Fig. 3) to verify the correct test pattern 



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Step 4 
Use the tool Export to XML (Fig. 3) to export the doc file to the XML format 

Step 5 
Import the saved file to the bank by selecting the format of the Moodle XML file 
(Fig. 1) 

 

Fig. 2. The fragment of the file in Moodle XML format 

 

Fig. 3. The Moodle Quiz tab 

Table 4 provides standards (protocols) and examples of processing different types of 
questions in text files-documents for importing test questions in GIFT and Moodle 
XML formats. 

Table 4. Instructions for submitting questions files in GIFT and Moodle XML formats 

GIFT format Moodle XML Format (using 
Moodle Quiz in MS Word) 

The question “True/False” (Fig. 4) 
Format: 

Question {TRUE} 

or else 

Question {FALSE} 

The tool True Statement (Fig. 3) – 
for the answer to the question Yes. 
And False Statement (Fig. 3) – for 
the answer to the question No. 



534 CTE Workshop Proceedings, 2019, Vol. 6: CTE-2018, pp. 529-540 

GIFT format Moodle XML Format (using 
Moodle Quiz in MS Word) 

 
Question Yes/No? 
{TRUE} 

 

Fig. 4. Example of the question “True/False” 

The question “Multiple Choice” (Fig. 5, 6) 
Format: 

Question {= ~ ~~} 

Example: 

The question with one correct 
answer? 
{ 
= The correct answer 
~ Wrong answer 1 
~ Wrong answer 2 
~ Wrong answer 3 
} 

Format: 

Question {~% number% ~% number% 
~} 
 
The questions with several 
correct answers? 
{ 
~% 50% Correct answer 1 
~% 50% Correct answer 2 
~% -50% Wrong answer 1 
~% -50% Wrong answer 2 
} 

The tool Multiple Choice (Fig. 3) 

The question with one 
correct answer? 
Correct answer 
Wrong answer 1  
Wrong answer 2 
Wrong answer 3 
 
The questions with 
several correct 
answers? 
Correct answer 1 
Correct answer 2 
Wrong answer 1 
Wrong answer 2 

Note: You can see the answer to the 
opposite (from right to wrong) 
using the tool Mark as True/False 
(Fig. 3). 



CTE Workshop Proceedings, 2019, Vol. 6: CTE-2018, pp. 529-540 535 

GIFT format Moodle XML Format (using 
Moodle Quiz in MS Word) 

Note: if there are three correct answers to the 
question, then each of them should add 
%33.333%, if four – % 25%, etc. 

 

Fig. 5. Example of the question “Multiple Choice” (one of many) 

 

Fig. 6. Example of the question “Multiple Choice” (many of many) 

The question “Matching” (Fig. 7) 
Format: 

Question {= Questions -> Answer} 
 
Questions about matching: 
{ 
= Question 1 -> Answer 1 
= Question 2 -> Answer 2 
= Question 3 -> Answer 3 
= Question 4 -> Answer 4 
= -> Answer 5 
} 

The tool is Matching (Fig. 3). 
Pressing the Enter key means the 
beginning of the introduction of 
question 1, pressing Enter again – 
the beginning of the input Answers 
1, etc. 
In the end, leave one question blank 
and enter an additional answer. 

Questions about 
matching: 
Question 1 



536 CTE Workshop Proceedings, 2019, Vol. 6: CTE-2018, pp. 529-540 

GIFT format Moodle XML Format (using 
Moodle Quiz in MS Word) 

Answer 1 
Question 2 
Answer 2 
Question 3 
Answer 3 
Question 4 
Answer 4 
 
Answer 5 

 

Fig. 7. Example of the question “Matching” 

The question “Numerical” (Fig. 8) 
Format 1: 

Question {# number} 

Format 2: 

Question {#min value..max value} 
 
Numerical question 2 + 2? 
{# 4} 

The tool Numerical (Fig. 3). To 
enter an answer – Enter. To enter 
accuracy – the tool Numerical 
Tolerance (Fig. 3). 

Numerical question 2 + 
2? 
4 

 

Fig. 8. Example of the question “Numerical” 



CTE Workshop Proceedings, 2019, Vol. 6: CTE-2018, pp. 529-540 537 

GIFT format Moodle XML Format (using 
Moodle Quiz in MS Word) 

The question “Short Answer” (Fig. 9) 
Format: 

Question {= answer} 
 
The question with a short answer? 
{ 
= yes 
} 

The tool Short Answer (Fig. 3). 
Pressing the Enter key means 
entering the answer. 

The question with a 
short answer? 
Yes 

 

Fig. 9. Example of the question “Short Answer” 

The question “Essay” (Fig. 10) 
Format: 

Question {} 

Example: 

Task - essay. 
{ 
} 

The tool Essay (Fig. 3). 

Task-essay 

 

Fig. 10. Example of the question "Essay" 

Adding images (in the text of the question or answer variants) 

1. All the images used in this file are saved in the 
folder (case sensitive) 

Tool Paste Image (Fig. 3) (pre-
copy the image to the clipboard) 



538 CTE Workshop Proceedings, 2019, Vol. 6: CTE-2018, pp. 529-540 

GIFT format Moodle XML Format (using 
Moodle Quiz in MS Word) 

2. Place the <img src \ = "@@ 
PLUGINFILE @@ / folder / 
name.png"> tag on the image, where name 
is the name of the image 

3. When you finish editing, create a zip archive 
containing the folder and the file with the 
questions 

4. The format for importing questions in Moodle 
LMS – GIFT with medials format (choose zip-
archive) 

 
Note (for GIFT files). 

1. Questions are separated by an empty line, the question itself can not contain empty 
lines. 

2. The text of the question should not contain special characters ({,}, =, ~, #) since they 
divide the parts of the question. If necessary, they must be preceded by the symbol 
"\" before each of these characters. It will be deleted when it is imported. 

3. If it is necessary to write certain explanations for test users, developers can write a 
comment starting with the characters "//". The starting point for commenting on 
answer options is the "#" character. 

4. Formatting the text of questions or variants: 

[html] <p> Questions about formatting </ p> 
{ 
} 

The main tags for formatting are given in Table 5. 

Table 5. Tags for formatting text (GIFT format, [8]) 

Syntax Action 
<h1> Text </h1> heading 1 level 
<p> Text </p> text paragraph 
<br> new line 
<hr> horizontal line 
<b> Text </b> bold text 
<i> Text </i> text outline in italics 
<sub> Text </sub> lower index 
<sup> Text </sup> top index 
<ol> 
<li> List item 1</li> 
<li> List item 2</li> 

numbered list 



CTE Workshop Proceedings, 2019, Vol. 6: CTE-2018, pp. 529-540 539 

Syntax Action 
<li> … </li> 
</ol> 
<ul> 
<li> List item 1 </li> 
<li> List item 2 </li> 
<li> … </li> 
</ul> 

marked list 

<a href="URL-link" > hyperlink text </a> hyperlinks 

3 Conclusions 

The choice of file format for importing questions depends on the needs of the test 
developer, and may vary depending on the situation (Table 6). 

Table 6. Compare file characteristics for importing issues 

Format 
Characteristic 

Aiken GIFT 
Moodle XML (macro 

Moodle Quiz) 
Minimalistic interface + + – 
Different types of questions – + + 

Images, sounds – 
+ 

(GIFT with media format) 
+ 

Automatically formatting – – + 
Free software + + – 
 
Yes, the undeniable advantage of the Aiken format is its simplicity, but the questions 
prepared in this format are the same. The GIFT format, like Moodle XML, provides the 
ability to fill questions with different types of questions; however, in GIFT format, all 
tags should be manually written. The downside of the moodle_quiz_v_21 macro is 
development for commercial software – MS Word. 

References 

1.  Aiken format – MoodleDocs. https://docs.moodle.org/37/en/Aiken_format (2016). 
Accessed 19 Mar 2019 

2.  GIFT format – MoodleDoc. https://docs.moodle.org/37/en/GIFT_format (2018). Accessed 
19 Mar 2019 

3.  Import questions – MoodleDocs. https://docs.moodle.org/37/en/Import_questions (2019). 
Accessed 19 Mar 2019 

4.  Kolgatin, O.G.: Teoretyko-metodychni zasady proektuvannia kompiuterno oriientovanoi 
systemy pedahohichnoi diahnostyky maibutnikh uchyteliv pryrodnycho-matematychnykh 
spetsialnostei (Theoretical and methodical framework of design of computer-based 
pedagogical diagnostics system for future teachers of natural-mathematical specialities). 
Dissertation, Kharkiv National Pedagogical University named after G. S. Skovoroda (2011) 

https://docs.moodle.org/36/en/Aiken_format
https://docs.moodle.org/36/en/GIFT_format
https://docs.moodle.org/36/en/Import_questions


540 CTE Workshop Proceedings, 2019, Vol. 6: CTE-2018, pp. 529-540 

5.  Moodle XML format – MoodleDocs. https://docs.moodle.org/37/en/Moodle_XML_format 
(2017). Accessed 19 Mar 2019. 

6.  Moodle_quiz_v_21.zip – Google Drive. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_ucvZ7jt6xc
Z0lNSUI1VWs3bUU (2013). Accessed 19 Mar 2019 

7.  Morze, N.V., Vember, V.P., Kuzminska, O.H., Voitsekhovskyi, M.O., Protsenko, T.H.: 
Zbirnyk zavdan dlia derzhavnoi pidsumkovoi atestatsii z informatyky (Collection of tasks 
for the state final certification in informatics). Tsentr navchalno-metodychnoi literatury, 
Kyiv (2013) 

8.  Popel, M.V.: Organization of teaching mathematical disciplines in SageMathCloud. 
Publishing Department of the State University “Kryvyi Rih National University”, Kryvyi 

Rih (2015) 
9.  Sergienko, V.P, Franchuk, V.M.: Metodychni rekomendatsii zi stvorennia testovykh 

zavdan ta testiv u systemi upravlinnia navchalnymy materialamy MOODLE (Methodical 
recommendations for the creation of test tasks and tests in the educational materials 
management system MOODLE). M.P. Drahomanov NPU, Kyiv (2011) 

 

https://docs.moodle.org/36/en/Moodle_XML_format
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_ucvZ7jt6xcZ0lNSUI1VWs3bUU
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_ucvZ7jt6xcZ0lNSUI1VWs3bUU