Dictation/C-test

Maintained by Palinfocom Technologies

Bring interactivity to your Moodle quizzes with the Dictation/C-Test Plugin. Create engaging audio-based dictation and gap-fill C-test questions that assess listening, comprehension, and grammar skills with precision.

Free

Download for free

Supports Moodle 3.10-5.2 See all versions

Latest release: 2 months ago

Installations: 15

Downloads (last 90 days): 202

Frankenstyle name: qtype_dictation

Question types

Current version

1.0.0 (2026050500)

Moodle 3.10, 3.11, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2

Uploaded on Tuesday, 5 May 2026 at 10:35 (GMT+0)

Plugin type: Question types

Frankenstyle component name: qtype_dictation

Version build number: 2026050500

Version release name: 1.0.0

Maturity: Stable

Supported Moodle versions: 3.10, 3.11, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2

Repository URL (Git): https://github.com/deepaksharma0311/MoodleDictationPlugin.git

Repository branch:

Repository tag:

Issue/bug tracker URL: https://github.com/deepaksharma0311/MoodleDictationPlugin/issues

Moodle Dictation Question Plugin

A comprehensive Moodle question type for dictation and C-test assessments with intelligent scoring.

Credits

Development: PAL InfoCom Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Project Lead and Specifications: Jack Bower

Research and Funding Acknowledgement

This plugin was commissioned and paid for as part of the JSPS KAKENHI-funded research project:

Validating a CEFR-informed Open Access English Placement Test (Grant Number: 21K13083).

The project investigates online English language placement testing, combining C-test and dictation tasks.

The plugin is licensed under GPL v3 or later and is open source for the Moodle community.

Features

Audio Dictation Mode: Students listen to audio and fill in missing words

C-test Mode: Text-only gap filling without audio

Intelligent Scoring: Uses normalized Levenshtein distance for partial credit

Flexible Gap Marking: Use square brackets [word] to mark gaps

Audio Controls: Configurable playback limits (once, twice, unlimited, etc.)

Detailed Feedback: Shows per-word scores and overall performance

Research Export: CSV export of all student responses and scores

Accessibility: Keyboard navigation and screen reader support

Installation

Copy the dictation folder to your Moodle installation:
```
/path/to/moodle/question/type/dictation/
```

The new question type will appear in the question bank

Usage

Creating Questions

Choose Mode: Enable/disable audio for dictation vs C-test mode

Upload Audio: Add MP3, WAV, or OGG files (dictation mode only)

Set Play Limits: Control how many times students can hear audio

Mark Gaps: Use square brackets to mark words for students to fill:
```
The [cat] sat on the [mat] and watched the [birds].
```

Student Experience

Listen to audio (if enabled) with play count tracking

Fill in text boxes where gaps appear

Receive immediate detailed feedback

See per-word scores based on similarity

Teacher Tools

Export student responses to CSV for analysis

View detailed scoring breakdowns

Support for backup and restore operations

Scoring Algorithm

Word Score = 1 - (Levenshtein distance ÷ max(correct length, student length))

Sentence Score = (Sum of word scores - word lengths) ÷ total correct characters

This ensures:

Longer words contribute proportionally more

No cascading errors between words

Fair partial credit for near-correct answers

Suitable for language proficiency testing

Examples

Dictation Example

Audio: "The cat sat on the mat"

Text: "The [cat] sat on the [mat]."

C-test Example

Text: "She under[stands] the topic and can expl[ain] it clearly."

Requirements

Moodle 3.10 or higher

PHP 7.4 or higher

Modern browser with HTML5 audio support

License

GPL v3 or later

Show previous versions

Dictation/C-test

Versions

1.0.0 (2026050500)