While you are typing

Each Esc after that steps out one level, from the thing you are in to the thing that holds it, and a step past the last one brings you back to your text:

your text  →  text tools  →  image tools  →  element tools
           →  column tools  →  row tools  →  add a row
           →  box tools  →  section tools  →  back to your text

Shift+Esc steps back in, so going one too far costs a single key.

You only ever see the levels that apply. Plain text in a one-column row is text tools, column, row, section. An image gives you its own tools as well. The column tools always belong to the column the cursor was in, whichever column that is.