diff --git a/tools/challenge-md-parser/__snapshots__/text-to-data.test.js.snap b/tools/challenge-md-parser/__snapshots__/text-to-data.test.js.snap
index 6eae0c9290..98b906904f 100644
--- a/tools/challenge-md-parser/__snapshots__/text-to-data.test.js.snap
+++ b/tools/challenge-md-parser/__snapshots__/text-to-data.test.js.snap
@@ -5,12 +5,12 @@ Object {
   "description": "<section id=\\"description\\">
 <p>Welcome to freeCodeCamp's HTML coding challenges. These will walk you through web development step-by-step.</p>
 <p>Lorem Ipsum with <code>some code</code></p>
-<blockquote>
+<p><blockquote>
 <p>Some text in a blockquote</p>
 <p>Some text in a blockquote, with <code>code</code></p>
-</blockquote>
-<pre><code class=\\"language-html\\">&#x3C;p>We aim to preserve this&#x3C;/p>
-</code></pre>
+</blockquote></p>
+<p><pre><code class=\\"language-html\\">&#x3C;p>We aim to preserve this&#x3C;/p>
+</code></pre></p>
 </section>",
   "instructions": "<section id=\\"instructions\\">
 <p>To pass the test on this challenge, change your <code>h1</code> element's text to say \\"Hello World\\".</p>
diff --git a/tools/challenge-md-parser/text-to-data.js b/tools/challenge-md-parser/text-to-data.js
index 9e186b20d0..638b5835a7 100644
--- a/tools/challenge-md-parser/text-to-data.js
+++ b/tools/challenge-md-parser/text-to-data.js
@@ -3,6 +3,21 @@ const toHTML = require('hast-util-to-html');
 
 const { sectionFilter } = require('./utils');
 
+function createPNode() {
+  return {
+    type: 'element',
+    tagName: 'p',
+    children: [],
+    properties: {}
+  };
+}
+function createBlankLineNode() {
+  return {
+    type: 'text',
+    value: '\n'
+  };
+}
+
 function textToData(sectionIds) {
   if (!sectionIds || !Array.isArray(sectionIds) || sectionIds.length <= 0) {
     throw new Error("textToData must have an array of section id's supplied");
@@ -12,7 +27,42 @@ function textToData(sectionIds) {
     function visitor(node) {
       sectionIds.forEach(sectionId => {
         if (sectionFilter(node, sectionId)) {
-          const textArray = toHTML(node);
+          const newChildren = [];
+          let currentParagraph = null;
+          node.children.forEach(child => {
+            if (child.type !== 'text') {
+              if (child.type === 'element' && child.tagName === 'p') {
+                newChildren.push(child);
+                currentParagraph = null;
+              } else {
+                if (!currentParagraph) {
+                  currentParagraph = createPNode();
+                  newChildren.push(currentParagraph);
+                }
+                currentParagraph.children.push(child);
+              }
+            } else {
+              const lines = child.value.split('\n');
+              if (lines.filter(Boolean).length > 0) {
+                lines.forEach((line, index) => {
+                  if (/^\s*$/.test(line)) {
+                    currentParagraph = null;
+                  } else {
+                    if (!currentParagraph || index > 0) {
+                      newChildren.push(createBlankLineNode());
+                      currentParagraph = createPNode();
+                      newChildren.push(currentParagraph);
+                    }
+                    currentParagraph.children.push({ ...child, value: line });
+                  }
+                });
+              } else {
+                currentParagraph = null;
+                newChildren.push(createBlankLineNode());
+              }
+            }
+          });
+          const textArray = toHTML({ ...node, children: newChildren });
           file.data = {
             ...file.data,
             [sectionId]: textArray