diff --git a/question/behaviour/informationitem/simpletest/testwalkthrough.php b/question/behaviour/informationitem/simpletest/testwalkthrough.php
index 3b14ff8dc64..68b70867b78 100644
--- a/question/behaviour/informationitem/simpletest/testwalkthrough.php
+++ b/question/behaviour/informationitem/simpletest/testwalkthrough.php
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ class qbehaviour_informationitem_walkthrough_test extends qbehaviour_walkthrough
     public function test_informationitem_feedback_description() {
 
         // Create a true-false question with correct answer true.
-        $description = test_question_maker::make_a_description_question();
+        $description = test_question_maker::make_question('description');
         $this->start_attempt_at_question($description, 'deferredfeedback');
 
         // Check the initial state.
diff --git a/question/engine/simpletest/helpers.php b/question/engine/simpletest/helpers.php
index 39fb6bf35b6..e771c00997f 100644
--- a/question/engine/simpletest/helpers.php
+++ b/question/engine/simpletest/helpers.php
@@ -297,24 +297,6 @@ class test_question_maker {
         return $essay;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Makes a truefalse question with correct ansewer true, defaultmark 1.
-     * @return question_truefalse
-     */
-    public static function make_a_description_question() {
-        question_bank::load_question_definition_classes('description');
-        $description = new qtype_description_question();
-        self::initialise_a_question($description);
-        $description->name = 'Description question';
-        $description->questiontext =
-                'This text tells you a bit about the next few questions in this quiz.';
-        $description->generalfeedback =
-                'This is what this section of the quiz should have taught you.';
-        $description->qtype = question_bank::get_qtype('description');
-
-        return $description;
-    }
-
     /**
      * Add some standard overall feedback to a question. You need to use these
      * specific feedback strings for the corresponding contains_..._feedback
diff --git a/question/engine/simpletest/testquestionattempt.php b/question/engine/simpletest/testquestionattempt.php
index 86d590e424f..13873368837 100644
--- a/question/engine/simpletest/testquestionattempt.php
+++ b/question/engine/simpletest/testquestionattempt.php
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ class question_attempt_test extends UnitTestCase {
     private $qa;
 
     public function setUp() {
-        $this->question = test_question_maker::make_a_description_question();
+        $this->question = test_question_maker::make_question('description');
         $this->question->defaultmark = 3;
         $this->usageid = 13;
         $this->qa = new question_attempt($this->question, $this->usageid);
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ class question_attempt_with_steps_test extends UnitTestCase {
     private $qa;
 
     public function setUp() {
-        $this->question = test_question_maker::make_a_description_question();
+        $this->question = test_question_maker::make_question('description');
         $this->qa = new testable_question_attempt($this->question, 0, null, 2);
         for ($i = 0; $i < 3; $i++) {
             $step = new question_attempt_step(array('i' => $i));
diff --git a/question/engine/simpletest/testquestionattemptiterator.php b/question/engine/simpletest/testquestionattemptiterator.php
index bf20264e50a..ca372056ef5 100644
--- a/question/engine/simpletest/testquestionattemptiterator.php
+++ b/question/engine/simpletest/testquestionattemptiterator.php
@@ -46,10 +46,10 @@ class question_attempt_iterator_test extends UnitTestCase {
                 get_context_instance(CONTEXT_SYSTEM));
         $this->quba->set_preferred_behaviour('deferredfeedback');
 
-        $slot = $this->quba->add_question(test_question_maker::make_a_description_question());
+        $slot = $this->quba->add_question(test_question_maker::make_question('description'));
         $this->qas[$slot] = $this->quba->get_question_attempt($slot);
 
-        $slot = $this->quba->add_question(test_question_maker::make_a_description_question());
+        $slot = $this->quba->add_question(test_question_maker::make_question('description'));
         $this->qas[$slot] = $this->quba->get_question_attempt($slot);
 
         $this->iterator = $this->quba->get_attempt_iterator();
diff --git a/question/engine/simpletest/testquestionattemptstepiterator.php b/question/engine/simpletest/testquestionattemptstepiterator.php
index 910476b862f..9a06348cedd 100644
--- a/question/engine/simpletest/testquestionattemptstepiterator.php
+++ b/question/engine/simpletest/testquestionattemptstepiterator.php
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ class question_attempt_step_iterator_test extends UnitTestCase {
     private $iterator;
 
     public function setUp() {
-        $question = test_question_maker::make_a_description_question();
+        $question = test_question_maker::make_question('description');
         $this->qa = new testable_question_attempt($question, 0);
         for ($i = 0; $i < 3; $i++) {
             $step = new question_attempt_step(array('i' => $i));
diff --git a/question/type/description/simpletest/helper.php b/question/type/description/simpletest/helper.php
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..d571b5d8119
--- /dev/null
+++ b/question/type/description/simpletest/helper.php
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+<?php
+// This file is part of Moodle - http://moodle.org/
+//
+// Moodle is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+// it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+// the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+// (at your option) any later version.
+//
+// Moodle is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+// but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+// MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+// GNU General Public License for more details.
+//
+// You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+// along with Moodle.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+/**
+ * Test helper code for the description question type.
+ *
+ * @package    qtype
+ * @subpackage description
+ * @copyright  2010 The Open University
+ * @license    http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU GPL v3 or later
+ */
+
+
+defined('MOODLE_INTERNAL') || die();
+
+
+/**
+ * Test helper class for the description question type.
+ *
+ * @copyright  2010 The Open University
+ * @license    http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU GPL v3 or later
+ */
+class qtype_description_test_helper extends question_test_helper {
+    public function get_test_questions() {
+        return array('info');
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @return qtype_description_question
+     */
+    public static function make_description_question_info() {
+        question_bank::load_question_definition_classes('description');
+        $q = new qtype_description_question();
+
+        test_question_maker::initialise_a_question($q);
+        $q->defaultmark = 0;
+        $q->penalty = 0;
+        $q->length = 0;
+
+        $q->name = 'Description';
+        $q->questiontext = 'Here is some information about the questions you are about to attempt.';
+        $q->generalfeedback = 'And here is some more text shown only on the review page.';
+        $q->qtype = question_bank::get_qtype('description');
+
+        return $q;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get the question data, as it would be loaded by get_question_options, for
+     * the question returned by {@link make_an_oumultiresponse_two_of_four()}.
+     * @return object
+     */
+    public static function get_question_data() {
+        global $USER;
+
+        $qdata = new stdClass();
+        $qdata->id = 0;
+        $qdata->contextid = 0;
+        $qdata->category = 0;
+        $qdata->parent = 0;
+        $qdata->stamp = make_unique_id_code();
+        $qdata->version = make_unique_id_code();
+        $qdata->timecreated = time();
+        $qdata->timemodified = time();
+        $qdata->createdby = $USER->id;
+        $qdata->modifiedby = $USER->id;
+        $qdata->qtype = 'description';
+        $qdata->name = 'Description';
+        $qdata->questiontext = 'Here is some information about the questions you are about to attempt.';
+        $qdata->questiontextformat = FORMAT_HTML;
+        $qdata->generalfeedback = 'And here is some more text shown only on the review page.';
+        $qdata->generalfeedbackformat = FORMAT_HTML;
+        $qdata->defaultmark = 0;
+        $qdata->length = 0;
+        $qdata->penalty = 0;
+        $qdata->hidden = 0;
+
+        return $qdata;
+    }
+}