This patch solves the problem: in file mod/lesson/locallib.php, final public function record_attempt($context) { } towards line 2020 change if ($result->response) { if ($this->lesson->review && !$result->correctanswer && !$result->isessayquestion) { ... } else {... to if ($result->response) { if ($this->lesson->review && !$result->correctanswer && !$result->isessayquestion) { ... } else { if ($result->isessayquestion) { $result->studentanswer = '<div class="reviewessay">'.htmlspecialchars_decode ($result->studentanswer).'</div>'; } ... tested on moodle 2.0 and 2.1

Create a lesson with at least one essay question in it. Lesson Settings: Flow control: Display default feedback: Yes Log in as student. Go to lesson. Attempt Essay, making sure to use some formatting in your text (bold, italics, etc.). Click Submit button Check that the Essay text you entered is correctly formatted, and not displayed with HTML tags instead.