diff --git a/core/includes/form.inc b/core/includes/form.inc
index 967b88c..eb68923 100644
--- a/core/includes/form.inc
+++ b/core/includes/form.inc
@@ -4720,35 +4720,42 @@ function theme_form_element($variables) {
   if (!empty($element['#attributes']['disabled'])) {
     $attributes['class'][] = 'form-disabled';
   }
-  $output = '<div' . new Attribute($attributes) . '>' . "\n";
+  $output = "\n" . '<div' . new Attribute($attributes) . '>' . "\n";
 
-  // If #title is not set, we don't even call theme_form_element_label.
+  // If #title or #description is not set at all, unset the respective display
+  // property, so the theme layer isn't unnecessarily called.
   if (!isset($element['#title'])) {
     $element['#title_display'] = 'none';
   }
-  // If #description is not set, we don't even call
-  // theme_form_element_description.
   if (!isset($element['#description'])) {
     $element['#description_display'] == 'none';
   }
 
+  // Print #title and #decription if it should be displayed before the element.
   if ($element['#title_display'] == 'before' || $element['#title_display'] == 'invisible') {
-    $output .= ' ' . theme('form_element_label', $variables);
+    $output .= theme('form_element_label', $variables);
   }
   if ($element['#description_display'] == 'before') {
-    $output .=  "\n" . theme('form_element_description', $variables) . "\n";
+    $output .= theme('form_element_description', $variables);
   }
 
+  // Prepend a field prefix if given.
+  if (isset($element['#field_prefix'])) {
+    $output .= '  <span class="field-prefix">' . $element['#field_prefix'] . '</span>' . "\n";
+  }
   // Render the element's children.
-  $output .= isset($element['#field_prefix']) ? '<span class="field-prefix">' . $element['#field_prefix'] . '</span> ' : ' ';
-  $output .= $element['#children'];
-  $output .= isset($element['#field_suffix']) ? ' <span class="field-suffix">' . $element['#field_suffix'] . '</span>' : ' ';
+  $output .= '  ' . $element['#children'] . "\n";
+  // Append a field suffix if given.
+  if (isset($element['#field_suffix'])) {
+    $output .= '  <span class="field-suffix">' . $element['#field_suffix'] . '</span>' . "\n";
+  }
 
+  // Print #title and #decription if it should be displayed after the element.
   if ($element['#title_display'] == 'after') {
-    $output .= ' ' . theme('form_element_label', $variables);
+    $output .= theme('form_element_label', $variables);
   }
   if ($element['#description_display'] == 'after' || $element['#description_display'] == 'invisible') {
-    $output .=  "\n" . theme('form_element_description', $variables) . "\n";
+    $output .= theme('form_element_description', $variables);
   }
 
   $output .= '</div>' . "\n";
@@ -4823,7 +4830,7 @@ function theme_form_element_label($variables) {
     $attributes['for'] = $element['#id'];
   }
 
-  return '<label' . new Attribute($attributes) . '>' . t('!title!required', array('!title' => $title, '!required' => $required)) . '</label>';
+  return '  <label' . new Attribute($attributes) . '>' . t('!title!required', array('!title' => $title, '!required' => $required)) . '</label>' . "\n";
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Form/ElementsLabelsTest.php b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Form/ElementsLabelsTest.php
index feb354b..8eb3578 100644
--- a/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Form/ElementsLabelsTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/system/lib/Drupal/system/Tests/Form/ElementsLabelsTest.php
@@ -23,8 +23,8 @@ class ElementsLabelsTest extends WebTestBase {
 
   public static function getInfo() {
     return array(
-      'name' => 'Form element and label output test',
-      'description' => 'Test form element labels, required markers and associated output.',
+      'name' => 'Form element label and description test',
+      'description' => 'Test form element labels, required markers, descriptions and associated output.',
       'group' => 'Form API',
     );
   }
@@ -97,4 +97,30 @@ function testFormLabels() {
     $elements = $this->xpath('//div[@id="edit-form-radios-title-attribute"]');
     $this->assertEqual($elements[0]['title'], 'Radios test' . ' (' . t('Required') . ')', 'Title attribute found.');
   }
+
+  /**
+   * Test description of form elements with different placement options.
+   */
+  function testFormDescriptions() {
+    $test = $this->drupalGet('form_test/form-descriptions');
+
+    // Check #description placement with #description_display='after'.
+    $field_id = 'edit-form-textfield-test-description-after';
+    $description_id = $field_id . '--description';
+    $elements = $this->xpath('//input[@id="' . $field_id . '" and @aria-describedby="' . $description_id . '"]/following-sibling::div[@id="' . $description_id . '"]');
+    $this->assertTrue(isset($elements[0]), t('Properly places the #description element after the form item.'));
+
+    // Check #description placement with #description_display='before'.
+    $field_id = 'edit-form-textfield-test-description-before';
+    $description_id = $field_id . '--description';
+    $elements = $this->xpath('//input[@id="' . $field_id . '" and @aria-describedby="' . $description_id . '"]/preceding-sibling::div[@id="' . $description_id . '"]');
+    $this->assertTrue(isset($elements[0]), t('Properly places the #description element before the form item.'));
+
+    // Check #description placement with #description_display='invisible'.
+    $field_id = 'edit-form-textfield-test-description-invisible';
+    $description_id = $field_id . '--description';
+    $elements = $this->xpath('//input[@id="' . $field_id . '" and @aria-describedby="' . $description_id . '"]/following-sibling::div[@class="visually-hidden"]');
+    $this->assertTrue(isset($elements[0]), t('Properly renders the #description element visually-hidden.'));
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/core/modules/system/tests/modules/form_test/form_test.module b/core/modules/system/tests/modules/form_test/form_test.module
index cb56e2b..5ff635a 100644
--- a/core/modules/system/tests/modules/form_test/form_test.module
+++ b/core/modules/system/tests/modules/form_test/form_test.module
@@ -261,6 +261,14 @@ function form_test_menu() {
     'type' => MENU_CALLBACK,
   );
 
+  $items['form_test/form-descriptions'] = array(
+    'title' => 'Form description test',
+    'page callback' => 'drupal_get_form',
+    'page arguments' => array('form_description_test_form'),
+    'access callback' => TRUE,
+    'type' => MENU_CALLBACK,
+  );
+
   $items['form-test/state-persist'] = array(
     'title' => 'Form state persistence without storage',
     'page callback' => 'drupal_get_form',
@@ -1063,6 +1071,34 @@ function form_label_test_form() {
 }
 
 /**
+ * A form for testing placement of form descriptions.
+ */
+function form_description_test_form() {
+  $form['form_textfield_test_description_before'] = array(
+    '#type' =>'textfield',
+    '#title' => t('Textfield test for description before element'),
+    '#description' => t('Textfield test for description before element'),
+    '#description_display' => 'before'
+  );
+
+  $form['form_textfield_test_description_after'] = array(
+    '#type' =>'textfield',
+    '#title' => t('Textfield test for description after element'),
+    '#description' => t('Textfield test for description after element'),
+    '#description_display' => 'after'
+  );
+
+  $form['form_textfield_test_description_invisible'] = array(
+    '#type' =>'textfield',
+    '#title' => t('Textfield test for visually-hidden description'),
+    '#description' => t('Textfield test for visually-hidden description'),
+    '#description_display' => 'invisible'
+  );
+
+  return $form;
+}
+
+/**
  * Menu callback; Invokes a form builder function with a wrapper callback.
  */
 function form_test_wrapper_callback($form_id) {