This study examined how elementary pre-service teachers organize responses to case-based teaching essay items that require problem identification. The data comprised 40 responses written by 4th-year students at an education university under conditions similar to those of an elementary teacher employment examination. Qualitative content analysis identified 3 response patterns: differentiating problems based on textual evidence, repeatedly segmenting similar problem judgments, and extending judgments beyond a given text. The findings suggest that performance on case-based essay items is related not only to educational knowledge but also to prompt interpretation, differentiation of problem categories, and evidence-based organization in writing. This study highlights the importance of helping students maintain a contextual understanding and organize judgments structurally when writing teaching essays.