diff --git a/question/type/ordering/edit_ordering_form.php b/question/type/ordering/edit_ordering_form.php
index f1960871ae9..21876db08ba 100644
--- a/question/type/ordering/edit_ordering_form.php
+++ b/question/type/ordering/edit_ordering_form.php
@@ -136,13 +136,8 @@ class qtype_ordering_edit_form extends question_edit_form {
 
         $this->add_repeat_elements($mform, $name, $elements, $options);
 
-        $repeats = $this->get_answer_repeats($this->question);
-        if (optional_param('addanswers', 0, PARAM_RAW)) {
-            $repeats += optional_param('addanswerscount', 0, PARAM_INT);
-        }
-
         // Adjust HTML editor and removal buttons.
-        $this->adjust_html_editors($mform, $name, $repeats);
+        $this->adjust_html_editors($mform, $name);
 
         // Adding feedback fields (=Combined feedback).
         if (method_exists($this, 'add_combined_feedback_fields')) {
@@ -219,7 +214,7 @@ class qtype_ordering_edit_form extends question_edit_form {
      * @param string $name
      * @param int $repeats
      */
-    protected function adjust_html_editors($mform, $name, $repeats) {
+    protected function adjust_html_editors($mform, $name) {
 
         // Cache the number of formats supported
         // by the preferred editor for each format.
@@ -233,50 +228,50 @@ class qtype_ordering_edit_form extends question_edit_form {
 
         $defaultanswerformat = get_config('qtype_ordering', 'defaultanswerformat');
 
-        for ($i = 0; $i < $repeats; $i++) {
+        $i = 0;
+        while (($editor = $name."[$i]") && $mform->elementExists($editor)) {
+            $editor = $mform->getElement($editor);
 
-            $editor = $name . '[' . $i . ']';
-            if ($mform->elementExists($editor)) {
-                $editor = $mform->getElement($editor);
-
-                if (isset($ids[$i])) {
-                    $id = $ids[$i];
-                } else {
-                    $id = 0;
-                }
-
-                // The old/new name of the button to remove the HTML editor
-                // old : the name of the button when added by repeat_elements
-                // new : the simplified name of the button to satisfy "no_submit_button_pressed()" in lib/formslib.php.
-                $oldname = $name.'removeeditor['.$i.']';
-                $newname = $name.'removeeditor_'.$i;
-
-                // Remove HTML editor, if necessary.
-                if (optional_param($newname, 0, PARAM_RAW)) {
-                    $format = $this->reset_editor_format($editor, FORMAT_MOODLE);
-                    $_POST['answer'][$i]['format'] = $format; // Overwrite incoming data.
-                } else if ($id) {
-                    $format = $this->question->options->answers[$id]->answerformat;
-                } else {
-                    $format = $this->reset_editor_format($editor, $defaultanswerformat);
-                }
-
-                // Check we have a submit button - it should always be there !!
-                if ($mform->elementExists($oldname)) {
-                    if (! isset($count[$format])) {
-                        $editor = editors_get_preferred_editor($format);
-                        $count[$format] = $editor->get_supported_formats();
-                        $count[$format] = count($count[$format]);
-                    }
-                    if ($count[$format] > 1) {
-                        $mform->removeElement($oldname);
-                    } else {
-                        $submit = $mform->getElement($oldname);
-                        $submit->setName($newname);
-                    }
-                    $mform->registerNoSubmitButton($newname);
-                }
+            if (isset($ids[$i])) {
+                $id = $ids[$i];
+            } else {
+                $id = 0;
             }
+
+            // The old/new name of the button to remove the HTML editor
+            // old : the name of the button when added by repeat_elements
+            // new : the simplified name of the button to satisfy "no_submit_button_pressed()" in lib/formslib.php.
+            $oldname = $name.'removeeditor['.$i.']';
+            $newname = $name.'removeeditor_'.$i;
+
+            // Remove HTML editor, if necessary.
+            if (optional_param($newname, 0, PARAM_RAW)) {
+                $format = $this->reset_editor_format($editor, FORMAT_MOODLE);
+                $_POST['answer'][$i]['format'] = $format; // Overwrite incoming data.
+            } else if ($id) {
+                $format = $this->question->options->answers[$id]->answerformat;
+            } else {
+                $format = $this->reset_editor_format($editor, $defaultanswerformat);
+            }
+
+            // Check we have a submit button - it should always be there !!
+            if ($mform->elementExists($oldname)) {
+                if (! isset($count[$format])) {
+                    $editor = editors_get_preferred_editor($format);
+                    $count[$format] = $editor->get_supported_formats();
+                    $count[$format] = count($count[$format]);
+                }
+                if ($count[$format] > 1) {
+                    $mform->removeElement($oldname);
+                } else {
+                    $submit = $mform->getElement($oldname);
+                    $submit->setName($newname);
+                }
+                $mform->registerNoSubmitButton($newname);
+            }
+
+            // increment the answer index
+            $i++;
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/question/type/ordering/question.php b/question/type/ordering/question.php
index 315b8b3e689..d8fb4bfeee7 100644
--- a/question/type/ordering/question.php
+++ b/question/type/ordering/question.php
@@ -692,7 +692,7 @@ class qtype_ordering_question extends question_graded_automatically {
     /**
      * Get all ordered subsets in the positions array
      *
-     * @param array   $positions
+     * @param array   $positions maps an item's current position to its correct position
      * @param boolean $contiguous TRUE if searching only for contiguous subsets; otherwise FALSE
      *
      * @return array of ordered subsets from within the $positions array
@@ -702,10 +702,10 @@ class qtype_ordering_question extends question_graded_automatically {
         // Var $subsets is the collection of all subsets within $positions.
         $subsets = array();
 
-        // loop through the $current values at each position
-        foreach ($positions as $i => $current) {
+        // loop through the values at each position
+        foreach ($positions as $p => $value) {
 
-            // is $current a "new" value that cannot be added to any $subsets found so far
+            // is $value a "new" value that cannot be added to any $subsets found so far
             $isnew = true;
 
             // an array of new and saved subsets to be added to $subsets
@@ -720,30 +720,30 @@ class qtype_ordering_question extends question_graded_automatically {
 
                 switch (true) {
 
-                    case ($current == ($end + 1)):
-                        // for a contiguous value, we simply append $i to the subset
+                    case ($value == ($end + 1)):
+                        // for a contiguous value, we simply append $p to the subset
                         $isnew = false;
-                        $subsets[$s][] = $i;
+                        $subsets[$s][] = $p;
                         break;
 
                     case $contiguous:
                         // if the $contiguous flag is set, we ignore non-contiguous values
                         break;
 
-                    case ($current > $end):
+                    case ($value > $end):
                         // for a non-contiguous value, we save the subset so far,
-                        // because a value between $end and $current may be found later,
-                        // and then append $i to the subset
+                        // because a value between $end and $value may be found later,
+                        // and then append $p to the subset
                         $isnew = false;
                         $new[] = $subset;
-                        $subsets[$s][] = $i;
+                        $subsets[$s][] = $p;
                         break;
                 }
             }
 
             // if this is a "new" value, add it as a new subset
             if ($isnew) {
-                $new[] = array($i);
+                $new[] = array($p);
             }
 
             // append any "new" subsets that were found during this iteration
diff --git a/question/type/ordering/version.php b/question/type/ordering/version.php
index 034504aff68..0e46b2f9c71 100644
--- a/question/type/ordering/version.php
+++ b/question/type/ordering/version.php
@@ -29,5 +29,5 @@ $plugin->cron      = 0;
 $plugin->component = 'qtype_ordering';
 $plugin->maturity  = MATURITY_STABLE;
 $plugin->requires  = 2010112400; // Moodle 2.0
-$plugin->version   = 2018121277;
-$plugin->release   = '2018-12-12 (77)';
+$plugin->version   = 2018121578;
+$plugin->release   = '2018-12-15 (78)';