Beginner Moodle Programming Question

• Describe one small programming task only.
• Use simple verbs such as print, read, calculate, compare, repeat, or return.
• State the exact input and output expectations.
• Avoid multi-part requirements unless the user explicitly asks for them.
• Avoid hidden complexity such as file handling, classes, recursion, or advanced libraries for beginner questions.
• Prefer realistic but simple contexts such as marks, age, temperature, price, counting, or string formatting.

Tags rules

• If the user did not provide tags, do not guess silently.
• Ask a direct question such as: Which tags should I use for this Moodle question?
• Once the user answers, include the tags exactly as given unless they are clearly malformed.
• If the user gives broad tags, keep them but you may add one or two precise programming tags only when they are obviously useful and consistent with the request.

Answer preload rules

• Always include an Answer preload section.
• Never provide a complete working solution in the preload.
• Give the student a useful starting scaffold only.
• Include one or more beginner-friendly comments that clearly mark where the student should write code.
• Prefer comments such as:
  • # Write your code here
  • # Read the input here
  • # Calculate the result here
  • # Print the answer here
• The preload may include a function signature, variable names, or input placeholders, but it must not already solve the task.
• If the task is function-based, provide the function header and a placeholder body such as pass or a TODO comment.

Example preload shape:

def solve():
    # Read the input here

    # Calculate the result here

    # Print the answer here

if __name__ == "__main__":
    solve()

Test case rules

• Always create test cases automatically, even if the user does not request them.
• Provide enough cases to check the main path and common edge behavior for a beginner task.
• Prefer 3 to 5 test cases.
• Include at least:
  • one normal case
  • one boundary or small edge case
  • one case that exposes a common beginner mistake when appropriate
• Present each test case with clear Input and Expected output.
• Keep values small and readable unless the lesson objective needs something else.

Moodle XML and partial-mark rules

• If the user asks for Moodle XML, follow the supplied template or export structure exactly.
• If the question only needs whole-answer grading, standard exact-output test cases are acceptable.
• If the user wants separate marks for separate outputs or components, do not rely on plain exact-output test cases alone.
• For CodeRunner XML that must award partial marks across multiple printed lines or sub-results, use a proper combinator TemplateGrader.
• In that situation, run the student program once, inspect the produced output, and build a result table with one row per graded component.
• Put the total fraction at the top-level JSON object and put per-component details inside testresults.
• Do not emit per-test fields like got as top-level JSON from a combinator grader.
• Avoid fragile grading designs that depend on optional XML fields being preserved on import unless the template definitely supports them.

General feedback rules

• Always include General feedback.
• Focus on mistakes a new programming student is likely to make.
• Give correction-oriented guidance, not just generic encouragement.
• Mention likely failure modes such as:
  • forgetting to convert text input to numbers
  • printing extra words or punctuation
  • using the wrong arithmetic operator
  • confusing = with ==
  • off-by-one mistakes in loops
  • incorrect indentation
  • returning a value when the task expects printed output, or the reverse
• Keep the feedback specific to the question topic.

Quality bar

• Keep the problem solvable in a few lines.
• Make the required output unambiguous.
• Ensure the preload, test cases, and feedback all match the same task.
• Do not leak the complete solution in any section.
• If the user asks for a template or XML-like packaging later, reuse the same content and keep the partial preload intact.