diff --git a/admin/renderer.php b/admin/renderer.php
index 6141dfec8a6..990efa48719 100644
--- a/admin/renderer.php
+++ b/admin/renderer.php
@@ -2051,8 +2051,10 @@ class core_admin_renderer extends plugin_renderer_base {
                         // We are checking installed & enabled things
                         if ($environment_result->getLevel() == 'required') {
                             $stringtouse = 'environmentrequirecustomcheck';
-                        } else {
+                        } else if ($environment_result->getLevel() == 'optional') {
                             $stringtouse = 'environmentrecommendcustomcheck';
+                        } else {
+                            $stringtouse = 'environmentshouldfixcustomcheck';
                         }
 
                     } else if ($environment_result->getPart() == 'php_setting') {
@@ -2083,7 +2085,8 @@ class core_admin_renderer extends plugin_renderer_base {
                         if ($status) {                                          //Handle ok result (ok)
                             $status = get_string('statusok');
                         } else {
-                            if ($environment_result->getLevel() == 'optional') {//Handle check result (warning)
+                            // Handle check result (warning).
+                            if (in_array($environment_result->getLevel(), ['optional', 'recommended'])) {
                                 $status = get_string('check');
                                 $warningline = true;
                             } else {                                            //Handle error result (error)
diff --git a/lang/en/admin.php b/lang/en/admin.php
index f3a53b97d40..476b319fff8 100644
--- a/lang/en/admin.php
+++ b/lang/en/admin.php
@@ -631,6 +631,7 @@ $string['environmentrequirecustomcheck'] = 'this test must pass';
 $string['environmentrequireinstall'] = 'must be installed and enabled';
 $string['environmentrequireversion'] = 'version {$a->needed} is required and you are running {$a->current}';
 $string['environmentsettingok'] = 'recommended setting detected';
+$string['environmentshouldfixcustomcheck'] = 'should be enabled for best results';
 $string['environmentshouldfixsetting'] = 'PHP setting should be changed.';
 $string['environmentxmlerror'] = 'Error reading environment data ({$a->error_code})';
 $string['environmentmariadbwrongdbtype'] = 'Wrong $CFG->dbtype. You need to change it in your config.php file from \'mysqli\' to \'mariadb\'.';
diff --git a/lib/environmentlib.php b/lib/environmentlib.php
index 4d82c2ca49a..05e9d0be157 100644
--- a/lib/environmentlib.php
+++ b/lib/environmentlib.php
@@ -1251,7 +1251,7 @@ class environment_results {
      */
     var $error_code;
     /**
-     * @var string required/optional
+     * @var string required/optional/recommended.
      */
     var $level;
     /**
@@ -1548,8 +1548,9 @@ function get_level($element) {
     $level = 'required';
     if (isset($element['@']['level'])) {
         $level = $element['@']['level'];
-        if (!in_array($level, array('required', 'optional'))) {
-            debugging('The level of a check in the environment.xml file must be "required" or "optional".', DEBUG_DEVELOPER);
+        if (!in_array($level, ['required', 'optional', 'recommended'])) {
+            debugging('The level of a check in the environment.xml file must be "required", "optional" or "recommended".',
+                DEBUG_DEVELOPER);
             $level = 'required';
         }
     } else {