Most people type a short question, get a generic answer and decide AI is not useful. A better prompt takes ten more seconds and often changes the result completely. Use this formula with any assistant.
The 6-part prompt formula
| 1. Role | Who should the AI act as? “You are an experienced career counsellor.” |
|---|---|
| 2. Task | What exactly should it do? “Review my scholarship essay introduction.” |
| 3. Context | What does it need to know? Your level, audience, goal and constraints. |
| 4. Format | How should the answer look? “Give 5 bullet points and one rewritten paragraph.” |
| 5. Constraints | Limits: length, tone, words to avoid, language. |
| 6. Examples | Show a sample of what good looks like, if you have one. |
Before and after
Weak: “Tell me about SEO.”
Strong: “You are an SEO coach. Explain SEO to a student starting a WordPress blog. Use simple language, give a 7-step checklist and one example for each step. Keep it under 300 words.”
Weak: “Make a study plan.”
Strong: “Create a 4-week IELTS study plan for someone with 1 hour a day. Include daily tasks for reading, writing, listening and speaking, and a weekly mock test.”
12 prompt ideas you can copy
- “Explain [topic] in simple terms, then give me 5 quiz questions.”
- “Rewrite this paragraph in a clearer, more confident tone. Keep my meaning.”
- “Give me 10 blog title ideas for [topic] for beginners.”
- “Find weaknesses in my argument and suggest improvements.”
- “Turn these notes into a one-page summary with headings.”
- “Act as an interviewer and ask me 5 scholarship interview questions, one at a time.”
- “Compare [A] and [B] in a table with pros and cons.”
- “Create a weekly plan for learning [skill] in 30 minutes a day.”
- “Explain this error message and how to fix it: [paste error].”
- “Suggest a content outline for [keyword] with H2 and H3 headings.”
- “Draft a polite email asking for [request].”
- “List the steps to [task] and what could go wrong at each step.”
Tips for better results
- Ask follow-up questions and refine instead of starting over.
- Break big tasks into smaller steps.
- Tell the AI what you do not want.
- Ask it to show its reasoning or sources, then verify them.
- Never paste private data.
Want to see tools you can use these prompts with? Read our list of the best free AI tools for students.
How to write better AI prompts: frequently asked questions
Do prompts work the same on every AI?
The formula works everywhere, but results differ by tool, so test and adjust.
Is a longer prompt always better?
No. Add the details that matter and remove the rest.
