Exercises & Activities
Choose the right exercise types and build interactive practice into your lessons.
The Lex Editor includes 18+ interactive widget types — from fill-in-the-blank and matching to crosswords and memory games. For syntax details and configuration options, see the Game Widgets Reference.
Choosing the Right Exercise Type
Different exercise types test different skills. Here's a guide to matching exercises with learning goals.
Testing Recognition vs. Recall
| Goal | Exercise Type | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Can students recognize the correct form? | Multiple choice (___() with options) | Students select from options — tests recognition |
| Can students produce the correct form? | Fill-in-the-blank (___() typed) | Students type the answer from memory — tests recall |
| Can students match related items? | Matching (/matching) | Pairs vocabulary with definitions, translations, or images |
| Can students identify all correct answers? | Choose Answers (/chooseanswers) | Select all correct options from a list — tests multi-recognition |
| Do students know the fact? | True/False (/truefalse) | Quick fact-checking with optional explanations |
| Can students classify items? | Category Sort (/categorysort) | Drag items into the correct category — tests grouping, including items with more than one valid group |
Building Productive Skills
| Goal | Exercise Type | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Word order and sentence structure | Sentence Builder (/sentencebuilder) | Students drag word tiles into order — tests syntax |
| Sequencing and logic | Ordering (/ordering) | Students arrange items in the correct sequence |
| Free-form writing | Essay (/essay) | Open text area for compositions, emails, or responses |
| Pronunciation and speaking | Speech Recorder (/speech) | Students record audio for teacher review or, in exam tasks, automated speaking feedback |
| Focused pronunciation | Pronunciation (/pronunciation) | Students repeat short target words or phrases and receive phoneme-level feedback, one slide at a time |
Review and Reinforcement
| Goal | Exercise Type | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Vocabulary memorization | Flashcards (/flashcard) | Flip cards with self-assessment (know / don't know) |
| Vocabulary recall under pressure | Memory Game (/memorygame) | Match pairs by flipping cards — adds a game element |
| Spelling reinforcement | Word Scramble (/wordscramble) | Arrange scrambled letters into the correct word |
| Vocabulary recognition in context | Word Search (/wordsearch) | Find hidden words in a letter grid |
| Vocabulary + spelling with clues | Crossword (/crossword) | Fill in a crossword grid from clue definitions |
Brain Breaks
For longer lessons, insert a break activity between sections:
| Widget | Use |
|---|---|
Roulette Wheel (/roulette) | Random prompts, conversation starters, selecting a student |
Drawing Board (/drawingboard) | Creative freehand drawing, Pictionary-style games |
Would You Rather (/wouldyourather) | Icebreakers and light discussion prompts |
Breathing Timer (/breathingtimer) | Mindfulness pause, focus reset between activities |
How to Insert Exercises
All exercises are inserted the same way:
- Place your cursor where you want the exercise
- Type the slash command (e.g.,
/matching) or type/and search - Configure the content in the widget that appears
Inline exercises (multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank) use a special syntax that lets you embed them directly within a sentence:
Yesterday, I ___(went, go, going, gone) to the market
and ___(bought, buy, buying) some vegetables.The first option in ___() is always the correct answer. Options are shuffled automatically for students.
For fill-in-the-blank, provide the expected answer:
The capital of France is ___(Paris).Accept multiple correct answers with a pipe: ___(went|visited). Attach a hint after ::: ___(went::to go). Add a short reveal explanation after the answer when useful: ___(went::to go)<<Use past simple after yesterday.>>.
For full syntax details and all configuration options, see the Game Widgets Reference.
Structuring Exercises in a Lesson
Mix Exercise Types
A lesson with only one exercise type becomes repetitive. Alternate between recognition (multiple choice), production (fill-in-blank, essay), and interactive (matching, sentence builder) to maintain engagement.
Progress from Easier to Harder
Start with recognition exercises (multiple choice, true/false) and move toward production exercises (fill-in-blank, essay, speech). This structures learning — students first see the correct form, then produce it.
Add Context Before Exercises
Don't jump straight into exercises. Provide an explanation, example, or reading passage first, then follow up with practice. Exercises test what you've taught, not what students are expected to guess.
Use Distractors Thoughtfully
For matching and sentence builder exercises, the Include distractors toggle adds extra wrong options. This increases difficulty and is recommended for B1+ levels.
Answer Handling
- Multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank — auto-graded instantly. Students get up to 3 attempts per question.
- Inline answer comments — optional explanations that appear after success or after the reveal limit. Teachers can edit answers, distractors, hints, and comments from the answer results panel.
- Matching, ordering, true/false, sentence builder, choose answers, category sort — auto-graded on submission.
- Essay and regular speech recorder — require teacher review. These appear in your homework verification queue.
- Writing Assessment — supports handwriting photo review with teacher markup tools and optional AI-assisted assessment. See Writing Review Options.
- Pronunciation — automatically scored against short targets. Multi-slide drills track attempts per slide.
- Exam writing and assessed speaking — can return automated rubric feedback, but teachers should review the result before treating it as a final grade.
- Games (flashcard, memory, word search, crossword, word scramble) — self-assessed or completion-based. No formal grading.
Answer statistics are tracked for all auto-graded exercises. See per-exercise completion rates and common wrong answers in the course analytics.
Next Steps
- Game Widgets Reference — syntax and configuration for every widget type
- AI Lesson Generation — auto-generate exercises from a topic
- Homework Management — assign exercises as homework
- Lex Editor Guide — creating lesson content
Q&A
Can I mix different exercise types in one lesson?
Yes, and it's encouraged. A single lesson can contain multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching, essay, and audio exercises together.
How does auto-grading work?
The system compares student input against your specified correct answers (case-insensitive). Multiple acceptable answers are separated by pipes: ___(went|visited).
Can students retake exercises?
Multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank widgets allow up to 3 attempts per question. Other widget types vary — see the Game Widgets Reference for details.