IMS Question & Test Interoperability QTILite Specification Final Specification Version 1.2

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

1.1 Question & Test Interoperability Overview

The Question & Test Interoperability (QTI) specification describes a basic structure for the representation of question (item) and test (assessment) data and their corresponding results reports [QTI, 02i]. Therefore, the specification enables the exchange of this test, assessment and results data between Learning Management Systems, as well as content authors and, content libraries and collections. The QTI specification is defined in XML to promote the widest possible adoption. XML is a powerful, flexible, industry standard markup language used to encode data models for Internet-enabled and distributed applications. The QTI specification is extensible and customizable to permit immediate adoption, even in specialized or proprietary systems. Leading suppliers and consumers of learning products, services and content contributed time and expertise to produce this final specification.

This document describes the components that are required to construct the simplest form of a QTI-compliant system. QTILite supports multiple-choice questions (this includes the true/false questions) only and limits the rendering form to the classical one response from a set of choices. Multiple Items can be exchanged in a single QTI-XML instance but Assessments and Sections are not supported. The QTILite specification is a standalone document in that none of the others are required to understand and construct QTILite-compliant systems. All QTILite compliant Items are compliant with the full IMS QTI V1.1 and V1.2 specifications but they are not backwards compatible with V1.0 or 1.01 of the specification.

1.2 Scope & Context

This document is the 'IMS Question & Test Interoperability QTILite Specification'. This specification is based upon the 'IMS QTI: ASI Information Model' [QTI, 02a] and is the realization of a subset of that model. QTILite is presented as the entry-level specification to the full QTI specification. QTILite does not support all of the features of the full QTI specification however an instance that conforms to QTILite will also conform to the full QTI specification. The key differences between QTILite and the full specification are:

• The only question-types to be supported within QTILite are:
  • Yes/No
  • True/false
  • Likert scale examples could be: strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree, strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree, agree, neutral and disagree
  • Other forms of multiple choice (i.e. one choice from many);
• Simple response processing to provide for a single right answer and using the default mechanisms;
• No support for:
• Hints and solutions
• Meta-data
• Comments
• Extensions
• Options that are "fuzzy"
• Limited media types and limited text types
• All time-based mechanisms.

The development of the full IMS QTI specification is accompanied by a release of the associated updated QTILite specification. The QTILite will always be a subset of the full QTI specification and the updates will normally focus on a subset of the additions made to the full specification. The IMS QTI Results Reporting specifications [QTI, 02f], [QTI, 02g], [QTI, 02h] are fully compatible with QTILite i.e. QTILite results can be exchanged using the IMS QTI Results Reporting XML binding.

1.3 Structure of this Document

The structure of this document is:

2. Overall Data Model	A brief summary of the Question & Test Interoperability: ASI Information Model;
3. XML Binding	The realization of the QTILite specification in XML in terms of XSD and DTD;
4. Example XML Instances	Examples of the basic data structures that are supported by this specification;
5. XML Instance Example Lists	Some complete examples of the XML instance required to realize QTILite;
6. Implementation Guidance	Tips on how the distributed learning engines can make best usage of the QTILite specification;
7. Compatibility with the Full IMS QTI	Compatibility of the QTILite specification with the full IMS QTI: ASI and IMS QTI: Results Reporting specifications;
8. Conformance	The expectations on systems that claim conformance to the QTILite specification;
Appendix A - Glossary of Terms	A glossary of the key terms and elements used within the specification.

1.4 Nomenclature

API	Application Programming Interface
ASI	Assessment, Section, Item
CBT	Computer Based Training
DTD	Document Type Definition
QTI	Question & Test Interoperability
VLE	Virtual Learning Environment
W3C	World Wide Web Consortium
XML	Extensible Mark-up Language
XSD	XML Schema Data

1.5 References

[IMS, 01]	IMS Persistent, Location-Independent Resource Identifier Implementation Handbook, M.McKell, Version 1.0, IMS, April 2001.
[QTI, 02a]	IMS Question & Test Interoperability: ASI Information Model Specification, C.Smythe, E.Shepherd, L.Brewer and S.Lay, Final Specification, Version 1.2, IMS, February 2002.
[QTI, 02b]	IMS Question & Test Interoperability: ASI XML Binding Specification, C.Smythe, E.Shepherd, L.Brewer and S.Lay, Final Specification, Version 1.2, IMS, February 2002.
[QTI, 02c]	IMS Question & Test Interoperability: ASI Best Practice & Implementation Guide, C.Smythe, E.Shepherd, L.Brewer and S.Lay, Final Specification, Version 1.2, IMS, February 2002.
[QTI, 02d]	IMS Question & Test Interoperability: ASI Selection & Ordering, C.Smythe, L.Brewer and S.Lay, Final Specification, Version 1.2, IMS, February 2002.
[QTI, 02e]	IMS Question & Test Interoperability: ASI Outcomes Processing Specification, C.Smythe, L.Brewer and S.Lay, Final Specification, Version 1.2, IMS, February 2002.
[QTI, 02f]	IMS Question & Test Interoperability: Results Reporting Information Model, C.Smythe, L.Brewer and S.Lay, Final Specification, Version 1.2, IMS, February 2002.
[QTI, 02g]	IMS Question & Test Interoperability: Results Reporting XML Binding, C.Smythe, L.Brewer and S.Lay, Public Draft Specification, Final Specification, Version 1.2, IMS, February 2002.
[QTI, 02h]	IMS Question & Test Interoperability: Results Reporting Best Practice & Implementation Guide, C.Smythe, L.Brewer and S.Lay, Final Specification, Version 1.2, IMS, February 2002.
[QTI, 02i]	IMS Question & Test Interoperability: An Overview, C.Smythe, E.Shepherd, L.Brewer and S.Lay, Public Draft Specification, Final Specification, Version 1.2, IMS, February 2002.

2. Overall Data Model

2.1 Information Model

The system model for QTI is shown in Figure 2.1 (this is the same as that described in the QTI: ASI Information Model, [QTI, 02a]).

The QTILite specification is concerned with the exchange of Items between Assessment systems. The internal representation may conform to the QTILite but the adoption in this way is beyond the scope of the specification. Nine distinct 'views' have been identified for each of the core participants i.e. Administering, Administrator, Assessor, Author, Candidate, Invigilator/Proctor, Psychometrician, Scorer and Tutor. Different types of information may be made available to each of these actors.

The core data structures that can be exchanged using the QTILite Specification are shown in Figure 2.2. QTILite supports the exchange of Items only cf. the full specification that also supports the exchange of Assessments and Sections.

2.2 QTILite XML Schema Tree1

The generic XML schema tree is shown in Figure 2.3. This representation reflects the overall structure of an Item.

3. XML Binding

3.1 Item Binding

3.1.1 <questestinterop> Elements

Description: The <questestinterop> is the holder for the core QTILite objects. This may contain one or more Items.

Multiplicity: This is the core element and must occur only once in the XML instance file.

Attributes: None.

Elements:

• item

3.1.2 <item> Elements

Description: The Item is the only data object that can be exchanged using the QTILite specification (cf. Assessments, Sections and Items in the full specification). Each Item consists of five distinct parts, namely: objectives - the materials used to describe the objectives with respect to each view; rubric - the materials used to define the context of the Item and available for each view; presentation - the instructions describing the nature of the question to be asked; resprocessing - the instructions to be followed when analyzing the responses to create a corresponding score and feedback; itemfeedback - the materials to be presented as feedback to the entered response.

Multiplicity: Occurs one or more times within the <questestinterop> element.

Attributes:

• title (optional). The title of the Item.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• label (optional). A label that can be used by authoring tools to identify key features.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• ident (required). The unique identifier for the Item. This identifier should be globally unique (a possible naming convention is included later in this specification).
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).

Elements:

• objectives
• rubric
• presentation
• resprocessing
• itemfeedback

3.1.3 <objectives> Elements

Description: The objectives element is used to store the information that describes the educational aims of the Item. These objectives can be defined for each of the different 'view' perspectives. This element should not be used to contain information specific to an Item because the question-engine may not make this information available to the Item during the actual test.

Multiplicity: Occurs zero or more times within the <item> element.

Attributes:

• view (optional with selection from the enumerated list of: All, Administrator, AdminAuthority, Assessor, Author, Candidate, InvigilatorProctor, Psychometrician, Scorer, Tutor. Default=All). The view defines the scope for the display of the associated information i.e. to whom the material can be presented.
  Data-type = Enumerated list.

Elements:

• material

3.1.4 <rubric> Elements

Description: The rubric element is used to contain contextual information that is important to the Item e.g. it could contain standard data values that might or might not be useful for answering the question. Different sets of rubric can be defined for each of the possible 'views'.

Multiplicity: Occurs zero or more times within the <item> element.

Attributes:

• view (optional with selection from the enumerated list of: All, Administrator, AdminAuthority, Assessor, Author, Candidate, InvigilatorProctor, Psychometrician, Scorer, Tutor. Default=All). The view defines the scope for the display of the associated information i.e. to whom the material can be presented.
  Data-type = Enumerated list.

Elements:

• material

3.1.5 <presentation> Elements

Description: This element contains all of the instructions for the presentation of the question during a test. This information includes the actual material to be presented. The labels for the possible responses are also identified and these are used by the response processing element defined elsewhere in the Item.

Multiplicity: Occurs zero or once within the <item> element.

Attributes:

• label (optional). A label that can be used by authoring tools to identify key features.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).

Elements:

• material
• response-lid

3.1.6 <response_lid> Elements

Description: The <response_lid> element contains the instructions for the presentation of questions whose response will be the logical label of the selected answer. QTILite supports the <response_lid> form of response only (cf. the full specification). The QTILite specification supports the render_choice option only (cf. the full specification).

Multiplicity: Occurs zero or more times within the <presentation> element.

Attributes:

• ident (required). The unique identifier for the response presentation block. This identifier will be used within the response processing structure to ensure the right set of response labels are processed.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• rcardinality (optional - enumerated list: Single). Indicates the number of responses expected from the user. All QTILite questions are defined as requiring a single response i.e. 'rcardinality=Single'.
  Data-type = Enumerated list.
• rtiming (optional - enumerated list: No). Indicates whether or not the responses are time dependent. All QTILite questions are defined as time independent i.e. 'rtiming=No'.
  Data-type = Enumerated list.

Elements:

• material
• render_choice

3.1.7 <render_choice> Elements

Description: The <render_choice> element instructs the question-engine to render the question using a classical multiple-choice format. The number of possible responses is determined by the <response_label> elements contained.

Multiplicity: Occurs zero or once within the <response_lid> element.

Attributes:

• shuffle (optional - enumerated list of: Yes, No. Default = No). Shows whether or not the list of possible responses can be shuffled between consecutive displays to the user.
  Data-type = Enumerated list.

minnumber (fixed = 1). The minimum number of responses that must be supplied by the participant. Data-type = Integer (1). maxnumber (fixed = 1). The maximum number of responses that must be supplied by the participant. Data-type = Integer (1).

Elements:

• response_label

3.1.8 <response_label> Elements

Description: The <response_label> is used to define the possible response choices that are presented to the user. This information includes the material to be shown to the user and the logical label that is associated with that response. The label is used in the response processing.

Multiplicity: This occurs zero or more times within the <render_choice> element.

Attributes:

• labelrefid (optional). A label that can be used by authoring tools to identify key features.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• ident (required). The unique identifier for the response_label section. This identifier is used by the response processing mechanism to identify the selected response.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• rshuffle (optional - enumerated list of: Yes, No. Default = Yes). Defines whether the associated response_label can be shuffled between consecutive displays to the user.
  Data-type = Enumerated list.

Elements:

• material

3.1.9 <resprocessing> Elements

Description: This is the element within which all of the instructions for the response processing are contained. This includes the scoring variables to contain the associated scores and the set of response condition tests that are to be applied to the received user response. Multiple <resprocessing> elements should be used to provide alternative response processing algorithms which may or may not be used by the response processing engine.

Multiplicity: Occurs zero or more times within the <item> element.

Attributes: None.

Elements:

• outcomes
• respcondition

3.1.10 <outcomes> Elements

Description: The <outcomes> element contains all of the variable declarations that are to be made available to the scoring algorithm. Each variable is declared using the <decvar> element apart from the default variable called 'SCORE' that is an integer and has a default value of zero (0). In QTILite only one other variable declaration is supported.

Multiplicity: This occurs once within the <resprocessing> element.

Attributes: None.

Elements:

• decvar

3.1.10.1 <decvar> Element

Description: The <decvar> element declares a single scoring variable. In QTILite only integer variables are supported.

Multiplicity: This occurs once within the <outcomes> element.

Attributes:

• varname (optional. Default = 'SCORE'). The name of the variable that is to be declared. The default name is 'SCORE'.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• vartype (Enumerated list: Integer). The type of the variable declared - for QTILite this is fixed.
  Data-type = Enumerated list.
• defaultval (optional). The default value to which the variable is to be initialized.
  Data-type = String (max of 16 chars).

Elements: None.

3.1.11 <respcondition> Elements

Description:  This element contains the actual test to be applied to the user responses to determine their correctness or otherwise. Each <respcondition> contains an actual test, the assignment of a value to the associate scoring variables and the identification of the feedback to be associated with the test.

Multiplicity: This occurs one or more times within the <resprocessing> element.

Attributes:

• title (optional). The title of the response condition test e.g. 'correct response test', etc.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• continue (optional - enumerated list: Yes, No. Default=No). This is a switch to indicate if further response condition tests are to be applied. The state of this switch is only valid if the application of the previous condition resulted in 'True'.
  Data-type = Enumerated list.

Elements:

• conditionvar
• setvar
• displayfeedback

3.1.11.1 <setvar> Element

Description: The <setvar> element is responsible for changing the value of the scoring variable as a result of the associated response processing test. Within QTILite the only supported action is to set the value of the integer variable to some defined number.

Multiplicity: This occurs once within the <respcondition> element.

Elements: None.

Attributes:

• varname (optional. Default = 'SCORE'). The name of the variable that is to be processed. The default name is 'SCORE'.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• action (optional - enumerated list: Set. Default=Set). The action that is to be applied to the named variable - in QTILite this is fixed.
  Data-type = Enumerated list.

3.1.11.2 <displayfeedback> Element

Description: The <displayfeedback> element is responsible for assigning an associated feedback to the response processing if the 'True' state results. Within QTILite the only supported feedback is generic content for the user.

Multiplicity: This occurs zero or more times within the <respcondition> element.

Elements: None.

Attributes:

• feedbacktype (optional - enumerated list: Response. Default = Response). The type of feedback that has been triggered by the associated response condition - In QTILite this is fixed.
  Data-type = Enumerated list.
• linkrefid (required). The identifier of the associated feedback. An <itemfeedback> element must exist with this identifier as defined by the 'ident' attribute.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).

3.1.12 <conditionvar> Elements

Description: The conditional test that is to be applied to the user's response. In QTILite the only test supported is the equivalence test on the label. The negative test is also available along with the condition for detecting no attempt at the question.

Multiplicity: This occurs once within the <respcondition> element.

Attributes: None.

Elements:

• not
• unanswered
• varequal

3.1.12.1 <varequal> Element

Description: The <varequal> element is the test of equivalence. The data for the test is contained within the element's PCDATA string and must be the same as one of the <response_label> values (this were assigned using the ident attribute).

Multiplicity: This occurs zero or once within the <conditionvar> element, and zero or once within the <not> element.

Elements: None.

Attributes:

• respident (required). The identifier of the <response_lid> element (this was assigned using its ident attribute).
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).

3.1.12.2 <not> Element

Description: The <not> element inverts the logical test outcome that is required. In the case of the <varequal> element produces a 'not equals' test. In the case of <unanswered> this becomes the equivalent of answered i.e. the correctness or otherwise is unimportant.

Multiplicity: This occurs zero or more times within the <conditionvar> element.

Elements:

• unanswered
• varequal

Attributes: None.

3.1.12.3 <unanswered> Element

Description: The <unanswered> element is the condition to be applied if a response is not received for the Item i.e. it is unanswered.

Multiplicity: This occurs zero or more times within the <conditionvar> element, and zero or once within the <not> element.

Elements: None.

Attributes:

• respident (required). The identifier of the <response_lid> element (this was assigned using its ident attribute).
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).

3.1.13 <itemfeedback> Elements

Description: The container for the feedback that is to be presented as a result of the user's responses. In QTILite no hints or solutions are supported.

Multiplicity: Occurs zero or more times within the <item> element.

Attributes:

• title (optional). The title of the feedback section.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• ident (required). The unique identifier for the feedback. This identifier is used within the <resprocessing> element to identify the feedback to be presented as a consequence of the processing of the user's response.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• view (optional with selection from the enumerated list of: All, Administrator, AdminAuthority, Assessor, Author, Candidate, InvigilatorProctor, Psychometrician, Scorer, Tutor. Default=All). The view defines the scope for the display of the associated information i.e. to whom the material can be presented.
  Data-type = Enumerated list.

Elements:

• material

3.1.14 <material> Elements

Description: This is the container for any content that is to be displayed by the question-engine. Within QTILite the only supported content types are text (emphasized or not) and images. The content can be internally referenced to avoid the need for duplicate copies. Alternative information can be defined - this is used if the primary content cannot be displayed.

Multiplicity: This occurs once or more times in: <objectives>, <rubric>, and <itemfeedback>. Occurs zero or more times in <presentation> and <response_label>.

Attributes:

• label (optional). A label that can be used by authoring tools to identify key features.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).

Elements:

• mattext
• matemtext
• matimage
• matref
• altmaterial

3.1.14.1 <mattext> Element

Description: The <mattext> element contains any text that is to be displayed to the users.

Multiplicity: This occurs zero or more times within the <material> element.

Elements: None.

Attributes:

• texttype (optional. Default='text/plain'). This identifies the type of text string. The format of the string is as defined by RFC1521.
  Data-type = String (max of 32 chars).
• charset (optional. Default='ascii-us'). The character set that is to be used to represent the text string.
  Data-type = String (max of 32 chars).
• label (optional). A label that is used to uniquely identify the text content.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• uri (optional). The 'uri' identifying the external reference that contains the text to be presented.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• entityref (optional). An alternative mechanism for identifying the external reference that contains the text to be presented. This allows the file reference to be bound to the XML instance itself.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• width (optional). This identifies the width of the text box i.e. its x-axis length.
  Data-type = String (max of 32 chars representing an integer in the range 0-231-1).
• height (optional). This identifies the height of the text box i.e. its y-axis length.
  Data-type = String (max of 32 chars representing an integer in the range 0-231-1).
• xml:lang (optional). The language of the text content. As per the ISO639 standard vocabulary.
  Data-type = String (max of 32 chars).

3.1.14.2 <matemtext> Element

Description: The <matemtext> element contains any emphasized text that is to be displayed to the users. The type of emphasis is dependent on the question-engine rendering the text.

Multiplicity: This occurs zero or more times within the <material> element.

Elements: None.

Attributes:

• texttype (optional. Default='text/plain'). This identifies the type of text string. The format of the string is as defined by RFC1521.
  Data-type = String (max of 32 chars).
• charset (optional. Default='ascii-us'). The character set that is to be used to represent the text string.
  Data-type = String (max of 32 chars).
• label (optional). A label that is used to uniquely identify the text content.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• uri (optional). The 'uri' identifying the external reference that contains the text to be presented.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• entityref (optional). An alternative mechanism for identifying the external reference that contains the text to be presented. This allows the file reference to be bound to the XML instance itself.
• width (optional). This identifies the width of the text box i.e. its x-axis length.
  Data-type = String (max of 32 chars representing an integer in the range 0-231-1).
• height (optional). This identifies the height of the text box i.e. its y-axis length.
  Data-type = String (max of 32 chars representing an integer in the range 0-231-1).
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• xml:lang (optional). The language of the text content. As per the ISO639 standard vocabulary.
  Data-type = String (max of 32 chars).

3.1.14.3 <matimage> Element

Description: The <matimage> element is used to contain image content that is to be displayed to the users.

Multiplicity: This occurs zero or more times within the <material> element.

Elements: None.

Attributes:

• imagtype (optional. Default='image/jpeg'). This identifies the type of image. The format of the string is as defined by RFC1521.
  Data-type = String (max of 32 chars).
• label (optional). A label that is used to uniquely identify the image content.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• uri (optional). The 'uri' identifying the external reference that contains the image to be presented.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• entityref (optional). An alternative mechanism for identifying the external reference that contains the image to be presented. This allows the file reference to be bound to the XML instance itself.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).
• width (optional). This identifies the width of the image i.e. its x-axis length.
  Data-type = String (max of 32 chars representing an integer in the range 0-231-1).
• height (optional). This identifies the height of the image i.e. its y-axis length.
  Data-type = String (max of 32 chars representing an integer in the range 0-231-1).
• embedded (optional. Default='Base64'). This defines the nature of the encoding of the image if it is embedded within the XML instance itself.
  Data-type = String (max of 32 chars).

3.1.14.4 <matref> Element

Description: The <matref> element is used to content by reference to the individual material components e.g. <mattext>. This material will have had an identifier assigned to enable such a reference to be reconciled when the instance is parsed into the system.

Multiplicity: This occurs zero or more times within the <material> element.

Elements: None.

Attributes:

• linkrefid (required). The identifier of the content that is being referenced. This material will have been assigned by the label attribute of the associated element e.g. <matimage>.
  Data-type = String (max of 256 chars).

3.1.15 <altmaterial> Elements

Description: This is the container for alternative content. This content is to be displayed if, for whatever reason, the primary content cannot be rendered.

Multiplicity: This occurs zero or once within the <material> element.

Attributes: None.

Elements:

• mattext
• matemtext
• matimage
• matref

4. Example XML Instances

4.1 Basic ASI Examples

The examples of the basic Item types are lists under:

• Standard True/False (text-based options) - two choice-based rendering with response processing;
• Standard Multiple Choice (text-based options) - four choice-based rendering without response processing;
• Standard Multiple Choice (text-based options) - five choice-based rendering without response processing;
• Standard Multiple Choice e (text-based options) - five choice-based rendering with correct answer response processing;
• Standard Multiple Choice (text-based options) - five choice-based rendering with correct and incorrect answer response processing;
• Standard Multiple Choice (text-based options) - five choice-based rendering with response processing and rubric and objectives content;
• Standard Multiple Choice (image-based options) - four choice-based rendering with correct answer response processing.

Note: These examples also comply with the full IMS QTI Specification V1.1 and V1.2. They DO NOT necessarily comply with the IMS QTI V1.0 or V1.01 specifications.

4.1.1 Standard True/False (Text)

Figure 4.1 shows a typical True/False multiple-choice question where the possible answers are formatted in to different ways. The corresponding XML is listed after the figure. The user is expected to select either the 'Agree' or 'Disagree' radio buttons.

Figure 4.1a Standard true/false item.	Figure 4.1b Standard true/false item.

The equivalent XML using the QTILite V1.2 specification is:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

<questestinterop> <item ident="IMS_V01_I_QTILiteExample001"> <presentation label="QTILiteExample001"> <material> <mattext>Paris is the Capital of France</mattext> </material> <response_lid ident="TF01" rcardinality="Single" rtiming="No"> <render_choice> <response_label ident="T"> <material><mattext>Agree</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="F"> <material><mattext>Disagree</mattext></material> </response_label> </render_choice> </response_lid> </presentation> <resprocessing> <outcomes><decvar/></outcomes> <respcondition title="Correct"> <conditionvar> <varequal respident="TF01">T</varequal> </conditionvar> <setvar action="Set">1</setvar> <displayfeedback feedbacktype="Response" linkrefid="Correct"/> </respcondition> </resprocessing> <itemfeedback ident="Correct" view="Candidate"> <material><mattext>Yes, you are right.</mattext></material> </itemfeedback> </item> </questestinterop>

This XML code is available in the file: 'ims_qtiasiv1p2/qtilite/trfl_ir_001/trfl_ir_001.xml'. The key points of this example are:

• The actual material to be presented to pose the question is shown in lines 4-6;
• The possible responses and the content to be displayed with each option are shown in lines 8-15. The form of rendering is denoted by the <render_choice> element (line 8);
• The type and number of responses is determined by the <response_lid> element which has the cardinality set as "Single" i.e. only one response is permitted and that there is no time dependence for the answer;
• The processing to be undertaken once a user's response has been obtained is described in lines 18-27. The test for the correct response is shown in lines 21-23 i.e. the label of the correct response is 'T' (the two possible labels were assigned in lines 9 and 12). Each distinct test is enclosed in its own <respcondition> element (line 20) and so a separate test is required to detect an incorrect answer;
• The result of getting the correct answer is to set the default scoring variable to 1 (line 24) and to trigger some feedback (line 25);
• The feedback that is displayed as a result of getting the right answer is shown in lines 28-30.

It should be noted that the actual rendering of the question as shown in Figures 4.1a and 4.1b is dependent upon the actual rendering-engine. V1.2 of the full QTI specification provides mechanisms to influence the ways in which the rendering-engine will render a question but these capabilities are not included within QTILite.

4.1.2 Standard Multiple Choice (Text)

Figure 4.2 shows a typical text-based multiple-choice question. The corresponding XML is listed after the figure. The user is required to choose one of the available options by clicking the appropriate radio button.

The XML instance for Figure 4.2 is:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

<questestinterop> <item title="Standard Multiple Choice Item" ident="IMS_V01_I_QTILiteExample004"> <presentation label="QTILiteExample004"> <material> <mattext> Which one of the listed standards committees is responsible for developing the token ring specification ? </mattext> </material> <response_lid ident="MCb_01" rcardinality="Single" rtiming="No"> <render_choice> <response_label ident="A"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.3</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="B"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.5</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="C"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.6</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="D"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.11</mattext></material> </response_label> </render_choice> </response_lid> </presentation> </item> </questestinterop>

This XML code is available in the file: 'ims_qtiasiv1p2/qtilite/mchc_i_001/mchc_i_001.xml'. The key points of this example are:

• The actual material to be presented to pose the question is shown in lines 4-9;
• The possible responses and the content to be displayed with each option are shown in lines 12-23. The form of rendering is denoted by the <render_choice> element (line 11). Four possible choices are shown and these each have a unique label identifier;
• The type and number of responses is determined by the <response_lid> element which has the cardinality set as "Single" i.e. only one response is permitted and that there is no time dependence for the answer.

4.1.3 Enhanced Standard Multiple Choice (Text)

Figure 4.3 shows a typical text-based multiple-choice question. The corresponding XML is listed after the figure. The user is required to choose one of the available options by clicking the appropriate radio button. Note that this example is very similar to that shown in Figure 4.2.

The XML instance for Figure 4.3 is:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

<questestinterop> <item title="Standard Multiple Choice Item" ident="IMS_V01_I_QTILiteExample005"> <presentation label="QTILiteExample005"> <material> <mattext>Which </mattext> <matemtext>one </matemtext> <mattext>of the listed standards committees is responsible for developing the token ring specification ? </mattext> </material> <response_lid ident="MCb_01" rcardinality="Single" rtiming="No"> <render_choice shuffle="Yes"> <response_label ident="A"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.3</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="B"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.5</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="C"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.6</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="D"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.11</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="E" rshuffle="No"> <material><mattext>None of the above.</mattext></material> </response_label> </render_choice> </response_lid> </presentation> </item> </questestinterop>

This XML code is available in the file: 'ims_qtiasiv1p2/qtilite/mchc_i_002/mchc_i_002.xml'. The key points of this example are:

• The actual material to be presented to pose the question is shown in lines 4-10. The difference between this example and that discussed in Figure 4.2 is the inclusion of the emphasized word 'one'. This emphasis is created using line 5;
• The possible responses and the content to be displayed with each option are shown in lines 13-27. The form of rendering is denoted by the <render_choice> element (line 11). Five possible choices are now shown (four were given in Figure 4.2). The relative order of these choices can be varied as denoted by the use of the shuffle="Yes" attribute (line 12). The exception to the shuffle is the last choice that is fixed to occur always as the last choice by the usage of the rshuffle="No" attribute line 25).

The next stage is to use the same example shown in Figure 4.3 but to add response processing and feedback to the XML instance. This gives rise to the XML instance (lines 1-30 are identical to the previous XML example):

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47

<questestinterop> <item title="Standard Multiple Choice Item" ident="IMS_V01_I_QTILiteExample006"> <presentation label="QTILiteExample006"> <material> <mattext>Which </mattext> <matemtext>one </matemtext> <mattext>of the listed standards committees is responsible for developing the token ring specification ? </mattext> </material> <response_lid ident="MCb_01" rcardinality="Single" rtiming="No"> <render_choice shuffle="Yes"> <response_label ident="A"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.3</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="B"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.5</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="C"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.6</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="D"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.11</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="E" rshuffle="No"> <material><mattext>None of the above.</mattext></material> </response_label> </render_choice> </response_lid> </presentation> <resprocessing> <outcomes> <decvar vartype="Integer" defaultval="0"/> </outcomes> <respcondition title="Correct"> <conditionvar> <varequal respident="MCb_01">B</varequal> </conditionvar> <setvar action="Set">1</setvar> <displayfeedback feedbacktype="Response" linkrefid="Correct"/> </respcondition> </resprocessing> <itemfeedback ident="Correct" view="Candidate"> <material><mattext>Yes, you are right.</mattext></material> </itemfeedback> </item> </questestinterop>

This XML code is available in the file: 'ims_qtiasiv1p2/qtilite/mchc_ir_002/mchc_ir_002a.xml'. The key points of this example are:

• The response processing information is contained in lines 31-42 and the associated feedback is given in lines 43-45;
• The response processing is designed to identify the correct answer. The test for the correct answer is shown in lines 36-38 (the presence of label 'B' is tested). If the correct answer is detected then the default scoring variable is set to 1 (line 39) and the feedback is triggered (line 40). The scoring variable is initialized as '0' (line 33) and so the score for an incorrect answer is 0 by implication;
• The feedback for the correct answer is denoted by the content shown in line 44.

The next stage is to use the same example shown in Figure 4.3 but to add response processing and feedback associate with the user selecting an incorrect answer. This gives rise to the XML instance (lines 1-41 are identical to the previous XML example):

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54

<questestinterop> <item title="Standard Multiple Choice Item" ident="IMS_V01_I_QTILiteExample007"> <presentation label="QTILiteExample007"> <material> <mattext>Which </mattext> <matemtext>one </matemtext> <mattext>of the listed standards committees is responsible for developing the token ring specification ? </mattext> </material> <response_lid ident="MCb_01" rcardinality="Single" rtiming="No"> <render_choice shuffle="Yes"> <response_label ident="A"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.3</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="B"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.5</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="C"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.6</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="D"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.11</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="E" rshuffle="No"> <material><mattext>None of the above.</mattext></material> </response_label> </render_choice> </response_lid> </presentation> <resprocessing> <outcomes> <decvar vartype="Integer" defaultval="0"/> </outcomes> <respcondition title="Correct"> <conditionvar> <varequal respident="MCb_01">B</varequal> </conditionvar> <setvar action="Set">1</setvar> <displayfeedback feedbacktype="Response" linkrefid="Correct"/> </respcondition> <respcondition title="Incorrect"> <conditionvar> <not><varequal respident="MCb_01">B</varequal></not> </conditionvar> <setvar action="Set">-1</setvar> <displayfeedback feedbacktype="Response" linkrefid="Incorrect"/> </respcondition> </resprocessing> <itemfeedback ident="Correct" view="Candidate"> <material><mattext>Yes, you are right.</mattext></material> </itemfeedback> <itemfeedback ident="Incorrect" view="Candidate"> <material>

55 56 57 58 59 60

<matemtext>No.</matemtext> <mattext> The right answer is B.</mattext> </material> </itemfeedback> </item> </questestinterop>

This XML code is available in the file: 'ims_qtiasiv1p2/qtilite/mchc_ir_002/mchc_ir_002b.xml'. The key points of this example are:

• The response processing information to detect an incorrect answer is contained in lines 42-48 and the associated feedback is given in lines 53-58;
• The response processing is designed to identify the incorrect answer. The test for the incorrect answer is shown in lines 43-45 i.e. not the correct answer. If an incorrect answer is detected then the default scoring variable is set to -1 (line 46) and the feedback is triggered (line 47). Note that the score now has three possible values of 1 (correct), -1 (incorrect) and 0 (unanswered);
• The feedback for the incorrect answer is denoted by the content shown in lines 55-56 (note that the word 'No' is to be emphasized).

The next stage is to use the same example shown in Figure 4.3 but objectives and rubric information are added. This gives rise to the XML instance:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

<questestinterop> <item title="Standard Multiple Choice Item" ident="IMS_V01_I_QTILiteExample008"> <objectives view="Candidate"> <material> <mattext>To test your understanding of LAN standards.</mattext> </material> </objectives> <rubric view="Candidate"> <material> <mattext>Attempt all questions.</mattext> </material> </rubric> <rubric view="Scorer"> <material> <mattext>Negative marking is employed.</mattext> </material> </rubric> <presentation label="QTILiteExample008"> <material> <mattext>Which </mattext> <matemtext>one </matemtext> <mattext>of the listed standards committees is responsible for developing the token ring specification ? </mattext> </material> <response_lid ident="MCb_01" rcardinality="Single" rtiming="No"> <render_choice shuffle="Yes"> <response_label ident="A"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.3</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="B"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.5</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="C">

35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75

<material><mattext>IEEE 802.6</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="D"> <material><mattext>IEEE 802.11</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="E" rshuffle="No"> <material><mattext>None of the above.</mattext></material> </response_label> </render_choice> </response_lid> </presentation> <resprocessing> <outcomes> <decvar vartype="Integer" defaultval="0"/> </outcomes> <respcondition title="Correct"> <conditionvar> <varequal respident="MCb_01">B</varequal> </conditionvar> <setvar action="Set">1</setvar> <displayfeedback feedbacktype="Response" linkrefid="Correct"/> </respcondition> <respcondition title="Incorrect"> <conditionvar> <not><varequal respident="MCb_01">B</varequal></not> </conditionvar> <setvar action="Set">-1</setvar> <displayfeedback feedbacktype="Response" linkrefid="Incorrect"/> </respcondition> </resprocessing> <itemfeedback ident="Correct" view="Candidate"> <material><mattext>Yes, you are right.</mattext></material> </itemfeedback> <itemfeedback ident="Incorrect" view="Candidate"> <material> <matemtext>No.</matemtext> <mattext> The right answer is B.</mattext> </material> </itemfeedback> </item> </questestinterop>

This XML code is available in the file: 'ims_qtiasiv1p2/qtilite/mchc_ir_003/mchc_ir_003.xml'. The key points of this example are:

• The objectives are given in lines 3-7. These objectives are available to everyone as denoted by the view="All" attribute;
• Two sets of rubric information are supplied in lines 8-17. The first set is for the candidate (line 8) and the second set for the scorer (line 13).

4.1.4 Standard Multiple Choice (Image)

Figure 4.4 shows a typical image-based multiple-choice question. The corresponding XML is listed after the figure. The user is required to choose one of the available options by clicking the appropriate radio button.

The XML instance for Figure 4.4 is:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46

<!DOCTYPE questestinterop SYSTEM "IMS_QTIv1p1.dtd"[ <!NOTATION gif PUBLIC ""> <!ENTITY image01 SYSTEM "image1.gif" NDATA gif> <!ENTITY image02 SYSTEM "image2.gif" NDATA gif> <!ENTITY image03 SYSTEM "image3.gif" NDATA gif> <!ENTITY image04 SYSTEM "image4.gif" NDATA gif> ]> <questestinterop> <item title="Standard Multiple Choice with Images Item" ident="IMS_V01_I_QTILiteExample010"> <presentation label="QTILiteExample0010"> <material> <mattext>Which symbol is the 'Stop' sign ?</mattext> </material> <response_lid ident="MC02" rcardinality="Single" rtiming="No"> <render_choice shuffle="Yes"> <response_label ident="A"> <material> <matimage imagtype="image/gif" entityref="image01"> </matimage> </material> </response_label> <response_label ident="B"> <material> <matimage imagtype="image/gif" entityref="image02"> </matimage> </material> </response_label> <response_label ident="C"> <material> <matimage imagtype="image/gif" entityref="image03"> </matimage> </material> </response_label> <response_label ident="D"> <material> <matimage imagtype="image/gif" entityref="image04"> </matimage> </material> </response_label> </render_choice> </response_lid> </presentation> <resprocessing> <outcomes> <decvar varname="SCORE1" vartype="Integer" defaultval="1"/>

47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

</outcomes> <respcondition> <conditionvar> <varequal respident="MC02">B</varequal> </conditionvar> <setvar action="Set" varname="SCORE1">10</setvar> <displayfeedback feedbacktype="Response" linkrefid="Correct"/> </respcondition> </resprocessing> <itemfeedback ident="Correct" view="Candidate"> <material><mattext>Yes, you are right.</mattext></material> </itemfeedback> </item> </questestinterop>

This XML code is available in the file: 'ims_qtiasiv1p2/qtilite/mchc_ir_004/mchc_ir_004b.xml'. The key points of this example are:

• The actual material to be presented to pose the question is shown in lines 12-14 and the associated graphics are identified in lines 19-20, 25-26, 31-32 and 37-38. The image files are externally referenced using the entityref attribute. These references are bound to the XML instance using the XML <!ENTITY...> statements in lines 2-6;
• The possible responses and the content to be displayed with each option are shown in lines 17-40. The form of rendering is denoted by the <render_choice> element (line 16) and shuffling of the options is to be used;
• The type and number of responses is determined by the <response_lid> element which has the cardinality set as "Single" i.e. only one response is permitted and that there is no time dependence for the answer;
• The processing to be undertaken once a user's response has been obtained is described in lines 44-55. The test for the correct response is shown in lines 49-51 i.e. the label of the correct response is 'B'. Each distinct test is enclosed in its own <respcondition> element (lines 48-54) and so a separate test is required to detect an incorrect answer;
• The result of getting the correct answer is to set the default scoring variable, 'SCORE1' to 10 (line 52) and to trigger some feedback (line 53). The scoring variable is declared in line 46;
• The feedback that is displayed as a result of getting the right answer is shown in lines 56-58.

5. XML Instance Example Lists

5.1 The ASI XML Instance Example Files

The full set of example files, as referred to in Section 4, are available as part of the Q&TILite Resource Kit. These files are listed in Table 5.1. The XML files are denote by an '.xml' extension.

File Name	Nature	Description
trfl_ir_001.xml	True/false Item	A true/false question. Response processing is supplied with the corresponding feedback.
trfl_ir_002.xml	True/false Item	A true/false question with objectives, rubric, response processing and feedback.
mchc_i_001.xml	Multiple-choice Item	A multiple-choice question with four possible responses. No response processing is supplied.
mchc_i_002.xml	Multiple-choice Item	The previous multiple-choice question has a further option added and has emphasised text. No response processing is supplied.
mchc_ir_002a.xml	Multiple-choice Item	The previous multiple-choice question has response processing added to identify the correct response and to give the corresponding feedback.
mchc_ir_002b.xml	Multiple-choice Item	The previous example is extended by adding feedback to respond to incorrect responses from the user.
mchc_ir_003.xml	Multiple-choice Item	The previous example is extended by adding 'objectives' and 'rubric' materials.
mchc_ir_004a.xml	Multiple-choice Item	A multiple-choice question using images. The images are referenced using the 'uri' attribute. Response processing is supplied with the corresponding feedback.
mchc_ir_004b.xml	Multiple-choice Item	The previous example is used but the images are referenced using the 'entityref' attribute.

The directory for these files is: 'ims_qtiasiv1p2/qtilite/...'

6. Implementation Guidance

6.1 Items

6.1.1 Elements and their Attributes

Objectives

The Objectives element should be used to define the objectives of the Item for each of the available actors. The objectives can include any type of content and so they can be presented in a wide range of forms.

Rubric

The rubric element should be used to present material that is to be applied to a set of the contained Items. These descriptions can be supplied for each view that is to be supported. The element <itemrubric> is not a supported alternative in QTILite (this is deprecated in favour of <rubric> and is a legacy issue with V1.0 and V1.01)

6.1.2 Groups of Elements

Response Types

In the full QTI are five basic response types, as listed in Section 3.2 of the 'IMS Q&TI: ASI Information Model'. It is important to realize that the response-type is determined by the manner in which the response is to be internally processed. In QTILite, only the single response classical multiple-choice question types are supported using the response_lid element.

Rendering Types

At present there are four rendering types: render_choice, render_hotspot, render_slider and render_fib. It is important to note that the rendering type is only loosely imposed by the response-type but it is closely linked to the educational objective of the question. In QTILite, only the classical multiple-choice question types can be supported using render_choice.

Itemfeedback

The itemfeedback element contains the hint and solution elements and its contents are triggered using the displayfeedback element. In QTILite, only the standard feedback is supported i.e. hints and solutions are not available.

Variable Manipulation

The manipulation of the scoring variables declared in the outcomes/decvar combination is contained within the conditionvar element. In QTILite the only variable comparisons are made individually using the varequals element. The state of these comparisons can be inverted using the logical 'NOT' element.

The response processing variables are declared using the decvar element. Each implementation of the QTILite must generate a default integer variable called 'SCORE' whose default value is zero. This variable is used whenever a condition test is applied and the corresponding setvar does not include a particular variable name. When supporting the response processing there is one special condition that can be trapped:

• When the response has not been answered - this can be supported using the unanswered element placed within conditionvar and is activated whenever that response has not been attempted.

6.2 Aggregated Scoring and Response Processing

A key question is how the test engine is to decide the type of responses and their subsequent response processing i.e. how does an implementation ascertain the sequence in which the response tests are to be applied to an Item that expects multiple responses. Consider the most simple case of a single response multiple choice question, "Which is the first working day of the week ?". The XML QTI code is shown below:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47

<questestinterop> <item title="Single response" ident="A"> <presentation label="BasicExample002a"> <material> <mattext>Which is the first working day of the week ?</mattext> </material> <response_lid ident="MCb_01" rcardinality="Single" rtiming="No"> <render_choice> <response_label ident="A"> <material><mattext>Saturday</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="B"> <material><mattext>Monday</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="C"> <material><mattext>Wednesday</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="D"> <material><mattext>Tuesday</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="E"> <material><mattext>Sunday</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="F"> <material><mattext>Friday</mattext></material> </response_label> <response_label ident="G"> <material><mattext>Thursday</mattext></material> </response_label> </render_choice> </response_lid> </presentation> <resprocessing> <outcomes><decvar/></outcomes> <respcondition title="Correct"> <conditionvar> <varequal respident="MCb_01">B</varequal> </conditionvar> <setvar action="Set">1</setvar> <displayfeedback feedbacktype="Response" linkrefid="Correct"/> </respcondition> </resprocessing> <itemfeedback ident="Correct" view="Candidate"> <material><mattext>Yes, you are right.</mattext></material> </itemfeedback> </item> </questestinterop>

The response processing test on line 37 does the check to see if the response has been 'Monday', the correct answer. The system is aware that a single response is required because of the value in line 7 of the rcardinality attribute i.e. 'Single'.

6.3 Naming Conventions

6.3.1 Identities and Labels

Many elements within the Q&TI specifications require unique identities and labels. Uniqueness is particularly important when importing from multiple sources. The earlier version of the QTILite specification (V1.1) recommended a 32-character naming convention. A new approach is now recommended that makes use of the IMS Persistent, Location-Independent Resource Identifier [IMS, 01]. This recommendation is based upon the following structure:

	URN:<nid>:<nss>
Where:
	<nid>	= Namespace identifier
		= IMS-PLIRID-V1
	<nss>	= Namespace specific string
		= <sourcelabel>:<sourceidentifier>:<schemelabel>:<schemeidentifier>
		= ABCDEFGH:abcdefghijklmnop:qtiv1p2:?-***...***
	in which:
	'ABCDEFGH' denotes the 1-8 character code for the organization responsible for creating the names/labels;
	'abcdefghijlkmnop' is the 1-16 character identifier assigned to the organization responsible for creating the names/labels;
	'qtilitev1p2' is the IMS specification and release version identifier for IMS QTILite;
	'?' is either 'A' for Assessment, 'S' for Section, 'I' for Item or 'B' for Object-bank;
	'***...***' is the 1-16 character code for the name/label of the object itself.
An example of this for an assessment identifier created by 'ETS' under the Q&TI v1.2 specification is:
	URN:IMS-PLIRID-V1:ETS:23459:qtilitev1p2:I_TESTITEMv0011
Therefore, we request that organizations wishing to create proprietary extensions register their 1-8 letter organization identifier with IMS so that IMS can ensure a unique set of identifier names.

1 Note that the usage of the 'ETS' identifier is a fictional allocation used for the purposes of the example.

6.4 Scoping Rules

6.4.1 Identities and Labels

Scoping within XML is very limited. It is possible to create globally unique identifiers within a file by using the 'ID' attribute and reference to these elements is possible through the usage of 'IDREF' and 'IDREFs'. During the development of the Q&TILite specification this global uniqueness was considered too constraining and so the scoping rules listed in Table 6.1 should be followed whenever possible:

Identifier Name	Role of the Identifier	Scoping Rule
item	Identifier for each Item.	Unique across the instance. Should be unique to the organization creating it. Should be based upon the naming convention described in Subsection 6.3.
response_lid	Identifier for the response_lid response-type.	This identifier is used to link the response supplied by the user and the corresponding response processing. This identifier must be unique across all of the response elements with an Item.
response_label	Identifier for each of the possible responses to be made by the user.	This identifier is used as part of the respcondition element processing within each resprocessing element. This identifier must be unique within the render_choice element it is used.
mattext	Identifier for text-based material. Note that the attribute label is used as this is optional and so not all mattext entries require a unique identifier.	This allows the text to be defined once and then referenced from any other location using the matref element. This identifier must be unique to all of the mat*** elements used internally or from the Section and Item pool.
matemtext	Identifier for text-based material. Note that the attribute label is used as this is optional and so not all matemtext entries require a unique identifier.	This allows the emphasized text to be defined once and then referenced from any other location using the matref element. This identifier must be unique to all of the mat*** elements used internally or from the Item pool.
matimage	Identifier for image-based material. Note that the attribute label is used as this is optional and so not all matimage entries require a unique identifier.	This allows the image to be defined once and then referenced from any other location using the matref element. This identifier must be unique to all of the mat*** elements used internally or from the Item pool.

7. Compatibility with the Full IMS QTI

7.1 QTI ASI Compatibility

The compatibility between the different versions of the specification and the full QTI and QTILite is shown schematically in Figure 7.1.

At the current time four versions of the full QTI specification have been released and two versions of the QTILite. Figure 7.1 shows that any instance file created under versions 1.0 and 1.01 are fully compatible with version 1.1. From the QTILite perspective, any instances created under V1.1 are not backwards compatible. This is because of the following issues:

• The itemrubric element is not supported in QTILite - this is deprecated in favour of rubric;
• The entityref and xml:lang attributes are available in QTILite but not in any release of the full QTI earlier than V1.1;
• The matemtext element is supported as a valid entry within content material.

All QTILite instances are compatible with the full QTI V1.1 specification. QTILite V1.1 and V1.2 instances are fully compatible as no functionality was added or altered to the Item data object. QTILite V1.2 and QTI V1.2 are compatible with the exception of: The material element was changed in V1.2 to support multiple altmaterial elements. This change was made to support accessibility issues and to allow the same content to be rendered in alternative languages. 7.2 Results Reporting Compatibility The QTILite V1.1 and V1.2 specifications are fully compatible with the IMS QTI Results reporting specifications [QTI, 02f], [QTI, 02g], [QTI, 02h]. This means that the results from a QTILite-based evaluation can be reported using the IMS QTI results reporting XML binding (this is shown by the dotted lines leading into the Results Reporting structure).

8. Conformance

The purpose of this statement is to provide a mechanism for customers to fairly compare vendors of assessment systems, tools and content.2</