The system displays a rectangular grid to the creator. When creating the grid, an additional row and/or column can be added for word explanations. If the creator clicks on an unused cell, they can add a word explanation there by specifying:
For the solver, only the letter input cells and the word explanations are displayed; grid cells unused by the creator are hidden. During solving, entered letters are automatically converted to uppercase. Each word is treated as a separate question (appears individually in response statistics) and awards points only for fully correct answers. For a single question, multiple correct answers can be specified in the evaluation matrix (from an evaluation perspective, it is not required for overlapping letters of different crossword words to match, as solvers receive points only for the words they answer correctly).
When translating the crossword task into another language, the number of words should remain the same, while word lengths and content may vary.
When creating a task, the basic fields required for task entry are displayed by default. Additional options appear when clicking the 'More data' link. The additional options selected by the task creator will remain visible in the task entry view after saving.
Sample task: https://www.examodo.com/publicitems/21
Common data for content blocks
Field / Button | Explanations | Conditions |
Example | When marking, an example is displayed to the task solver: a content block with the answer is shown, the answer cannot be modified, and no points are awarded for this answer. | Checkbox. By default, it is hidden and will appear when clicking the 'More data' link. |
Initially invisible | When enabled, it allows the content block to be hidden when opening the task and revealed based on the user's next action. | Checkbox. By default, it is hidden and will appear when clicking the 'More data' link. |
Points shall be rounded within the block | When marking, the points awarded to the solver are rounded to the nearest whole number. | Checkbox. By default, it is hidden and will appear when clicking the 'More data' link. |
Do not color incorrect/correct responses | By default, in solved and graded tasks, answers that received the maximum points are displayed with a green border, while other answers are displayed with a red border. If this checkbox is selected, no colored border is displayed around the answers. This is used for questions where determining the correctness of an answer's color is too complex. | Checkbox. By default, it is hidden and will appear when clicking the 'More data' link. |
Content block minimum points | If the total score of the questions is less than the number entered in this field, the total score for the task will take into account the number entered in the minimum points field for the content block. | Numeric field. By default, it is hidden and will appear when clicking the 'More data' link. |
Content block maximum points | If the total score of the questions exceeds the number entered in this field, the total score for the task will take into account the number entered in the maximum points field for the content block. | Numeric field. By default, it is hidden and will appear when clicking the 'More data' link. |
Number of rows | Number of Rows in the Crossword + One Row for Word Explanations. If word explanations need to be added above the crossword (for words running from top to bottom), the first row should be reserved for word explanations. | Numeric field. |
Number of columns | Number of Columns in the Crossword + One Column for Word Explanations. If word explanations need to be added to the left of the crossword (for words running from left to right), the first column should be reserved for word explanations. | Numeric field. |
Square size | Size of the crossword grid cells in pixels. | Numeric field. |
Crossword input grid |
To add a word, click on an empty cell where the word explanation should appear. The crossword begins from the cell immediately following the word explanation. Clicking opens a modal where you can input the word along with its scoring instructions. As a hint, you may also add an icon or a small image (the image dimensions must not exceed the size of the cell). To edit an existing word, click on its hint. If you want to pre-fill a letter in the answer for the solver (making the letter visible in the crossword), click on the letter's cell in the grid after adding the word. A modal will appear, showing the letter along with the message: "This letter is not currently visible to the solver. Saving will make it visible." When saved, the letter becomes visible to the solver. To make a previously visible letter hidden again, click on it, and in the modal that appears, press the "Delete" button. |
The crossword input grid appears after entering and saving the number of rows and columns. |
Shift the crossword puzzle by __ squares relative to the grid. | Allows shifting the crossword grid by a specified number of cells. By default, the value is set to 0, but you can input the desired number of cells to shift and then select the direction. Radio Buttons: Left, Right, Up, Down | Numeric field. Radio buttons. |
Word input
Field / Button | Explanations | Conditions |
Hint | This field is for entering a hint related to the word being input. If the hints are longer than a single word, you can use a number as the hint instead. For solvers, you can provide an additional content block containing a list of numbered hints corresponding to the words in the crossword. This approach ensures that longer hints are presented in an organized and accessible way. | Text field. |
Image file / File | If the hint is an image, clicking the “File” button opens the option to browse and upload files from the computer. After a successful upload, the uploaded file's name appears next to the button, along with its size in bytes (in parentheses), the image itself, and an icon to delete the image. | Button. |
Width | If the hint is an image, you can specify its width in pixels here (NB! It must not exceed the cell's width). | Numeric field. Required if the word's hint is an image. |
Height | If the hint is an image, you can specify its height in pixels here (NB! It must not exceed the cell's width). | Numeric field. Required if the word's hint is an image. |
Number of characters | Here, you must enter the length of the word being asked in the crossword, in characters. | Numeric field. |
Direction | Checkboxes to mark the direction of the word relative to the word explanation cell. Options: downwards, upwards, to the right, to the left. | Radio buttons. |
Answer Evaluation and Scoring Matrix (some options are hidden under the “Show More” arrow). This section appears when entering a word and later when clicking on the word explanation. Each entered word has its own scoring matrix.
Field / Button | Explanations | Conditions |
Item ID | The question ID must be unique within the task. When creating a new question, the system automatically suggests a default ID value, but the task creator can change it. If there are many questions in the task, it is recommended to rename the question IDs in a way that reflects the content or location of the question in the task. This reduces the risk of confusion between questions and their assessment matrices for the creator. | Text field. Mandatory. |
Explanation | Here you can add an explanation regarding the Question ID. | Text field. |
Minimum points of item | The minimum points value indicates the lowest possible number of points that can be awarded for a given question. In some cases, a question may have multiple answers. First, the corresponding number of points is determined for each answer, then the points are summed. If the total points are less than the minimum points value, the solver is awarded the minimum points. | Numeric field. |
Maximum points of item | The number indicates the maximum possible points that can be awarded for a given question. If the assessment matrix has already been saved, the calculated maximum points value, based on the system's calculations, will be shown in parentheses after the maximum points input field. The system calculates the maximum points based on the answers and their respective points in the assessment matrix. The calculated maximum points may be greater than or equal to the maximum points set for the question. | Numeric field. |
Default points given for response, which does not match matrix | The default points value is the number of points awarded to all answers that do not have a row in the assessment matrix. For example, if all correct answers are included in the assessment matrix, default points are given to incorrect answers. By default, the default points are 0. | Numeric field. |
Latin and Russian letters of the same appearance are equal | By default, it is marked. If the user enters letters in a different language using the keyboard, letters with the same appearance are considered the same. | Checkbox. |
A question used to determine the correctness of an answer | From the list, you can select the question ID with which the response to this content block's specific question will be evaluated. When making a selection, it is important to consider that this question must be computer-evaluable (it can receive 0 points), and points for this response will be assigned based on the evaluation of another question's response within the same task content block (either by the computer or a human). | Drop-down menu. |
Do not count response for results | When selected, the points awarded for this question are not included in the solver's total test score. This is used, for example, when the task points are determined by a calculated value in the content block. In tests where the total points are not counted and instead the result is displayed by individual indicators, the question will not be shown in the result view. | Checkbox. |
Computer-markable | Indicates whether the question is computer-assessable or not. When creating a new question, it is by default set as computer-assessable unless it is an open text input content block. | This content block is only computer-assessable. |
Add |
Adds a row to the assessment matrix. The assessment matrix is a table where each row corresponds to a possible answer and indicates how many points are awarded for that answer. A row in the assessment matrix consists of the answer and the evaluation of that answer. The row contains the following fields: |
Button. |
Order | Serial number, automatically filled by Examodo. | |
Response | Here, the word that the solver needs to enter is added. Examodo checks that the word length matches the number of letters entered above. | Text field. |
Condition | If a condition is described, the score for the answer listed in the assessment matrix will only be counted if the condition is met, i.e., the condition's truth value is true. The condition is described as a Python formula, which may depend on the answers to other questions. | Text field. |
Points | The assessment points awarded for a given answer. Points are given as real numbers, can include decimal places, and can be positive, negative, or zero. A row with 0 points in the assessment matrix may be necessary if a hit counter is used and you want the answer to be recorded in the counter. Negative points can be given for incorrect answers. For rows marked as "Correct," the points field may be left blank (in which case 1 point is counted). | Numeric field. |
Correct | A checkbox. Checking this box means that if no value is entered in the points field, the solver will receive 1 point for the given answer. If the solver is allowed to view the correct answer, marking this checkbox indicates that the row is the correct answer. | Checkbox. |
Match counter | The hit counter field where the counter name can be entered (the name can include letters, numbers, and underscores, and the first symbol cannot be a number). The counter allows grouping of answers, even across different content blocks (the counter applies within the task). If a counter name is entered, the system will count all answers that match the specific row and can be used in the formula of a calculated value content block. | Text field. |