diff --git a/python/educational-core/course-creator/src/com/jetbrains/edu/coursecreator/ui/CCCreateAnswerPlaceholderPanel.form b/python/educational-core/course-creator/src/com/jetbrains/edu/coursecreator/ui/CCCreateAnswerPlaceholderPanel.form
index 5e4b17d84c04..de3a7827e3f1 100644
--- a/python/educational-core/course-creator/src/com/jetbrains/edu/coursecreator/ui/CCCreateAnswerPlaceholderPanel.form
+++ b/python/educational-core/course-creator/src/com/jetbrains/edu/coursecreator/ui/CCCreateAnswerPlaceholderPanel.form
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <form xmlns="http://www.intellij.com/uidesigner/form/" version="1" bind-to-class="com.jetbrains.edu.coursecreator.ui.CCCreateAnswerPlaceholderPanel">
-  <grid id="27dc6" binding="myPanel" layout-manager="GridLayoutManager" row-count="2" column-count="4" same-size-horizontally="false" same-size-vertically="false" hgap="-1" vgap="-1">
+  <grid id="27dc6" binding="myPanel" layout-manager="GridLayoutManager" row-count="2" column-count="2" same-size-horizontally="false" same-size-vertically="false" hgap="-1" vgap="-1">
     <margin top="0" left="0" bottom="0" right="0"/>
     <constraints>
       <xy x="20" y="20" width="450" height="177"/>
@@ -13,62 +13,39 @@
           <grid row="0" column="0" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="0" hsize-policy="0" anchor="8" fill="0" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false"/>
         </constraints>
         <properties>
+          <labelFor value="2e28f"/>
           <text value="Placeholder:"/>
         </properties>
       </component>
-      <grid id="cbc70" layout-manager="GridLayoutManager" row-count="1" column-count="1" same-size-horizontally="false" same-size-vertically="false" hgap="-1" vgap="-1">
-        <margin top="0" left="0" bottom="0" right="0"/>
+      <component id="2e28f" class="javax.swing.JTextField" binding="myAnswerPlaceholderText">
         <constraints>
-          <grid row="0" column="1" row-span="1" col-span="3" vsize-policy="3" hsize-policy="3" anchor="0" fill="3" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false">
-            <minimum-size width="150" height="-1"/>
-            <preferred-size width="150" height="-1"/>
+          <grid row="0" column="1" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="3" hsize-policy="3" anchor="0" fill="3" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false">
+            <minimum-size width="150" height="30"/>
+            <preferred-size width="150" height="30"/>
           </grid>
         </constraints>
-        <properties/>
-        <border type="line">
-          <color color="-6709600"/>
-        </border>
-        <children>
-          <component id="2e28f" class="javax.swing.JTextField" binding="myAnswerPlaceholderText">
-            <constraints>
-              <grid row="0" column="0" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="0" hsize-policy="6" anchor="8" fill="1" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false">
-                <preferred-size width="150" height="-1"/>
-              </grid>
-            </constraints>
-            <properties>
-              <text value=""/>
-            </properties>
-          </component>
-        </children>
-      </grid>
-      <grid id="51a63" layout-manager="GridLayoutManager" row-count="1" column-count="1" same-size-horizontally="false" same-size-vertically="false" hgap="-1" vgap="-1">
-        <margin top="0" left="0" bottom="0" right="0"/>
-        <constraints>
-          <grid row="1" column="1" row-span="1" col-span="3" vsize-policy="3" hsize-policy="3" anchor="0" fill="3" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false"/>
-        </constraints>
-        <properties/>
-        <border type="line">
-          <color color="-6709600"/>
-        </border>
-        <children>
-          <component id="d0efc" class="javax.swing.JTextArea" binding="myHintText">
-            <constraints>
-              <grid row="0" column="0" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="6" hsize-policy="6" anchor="0" fill="3" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false">
-                <preferred-size width="300" height="100"/>
-              </grid>
-            </constraints>
-            <properties/>
-          </component>
-        </children>
-      </grid>
+        <properties>
+          <text value=""/>
+        </properties>
+      </component>
       <component id="61da7" class="javax.swing.JLabel">
         <constraints>
           <grid row="1" column="0" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="0" hsize-policy="0" anchor="9" fill="0" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false"/>
         </constraints>
         <properties>
+          <labelFor value="d0efc"/>
           <text value="Hint:"/>
         </properties>
       </component>
+      <component id="d0efc" class="javax.swing.JTextArea" binding="myHintText">
+        <constraints>
+          <grid row="1" column="1" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="6" hsize-policy="6" anchor="0" fill="3" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false">
+            <minimum-size width="-1" height="100"/>
+            <preferred-size width="300" height="100"/>
+          </grid>
+        </constraints>
+        <properties/>
+      </component>
     </children>
   </grid>
 </form>
diff --git a/python/educational-core/course-creator/src/com/jetbrains/edu/coursecreator/ui/CCCreateAnswerPlaceholderPanel.java b/python/educational-core/course-creator/src/com/jetbrains/edu/coursecreator/ui/CCCreateAnswerPlaceholderPanel.java
index 28cd014d3288..09a6012c5ca7 100644
--- a/python/educational-core/course-creator/src/com/jetbrains/edu/coursecreator/ui/CCCreateAnswerPlaceholderPanel.java
+++ b/python/educational-core/course-creator/src/com/jetbrains/edu/coursecreator/ui/CCCreateAnswerPlaceholderPanel.java
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 package com.jetbrains.edu.coursecreator.ui;
 
+import com.intellij.ui.JBColor;
+
 import javax.swing.*;
 import java.awt.*;
 
@@ -14,6 +16,7 @@ public class CCCreateAnswerPlaceholderPanel extends JPanel {
     add(myPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
     myHintText.setLineWrap(true);
     myHintText.setWrapStyleWord(true);
+    myHintText.setBorder(BorderFactory.createLineBorder(JBColor.border()));
     myAnswerPlaceholderText.grabFocus();
   }