Prompting Basics
An AI assistant can only work with what you tell it. Learn the six ingredients of a clear request, see them transform everyday asks, and pick up the habit of refining the answer through conversation.
Imagine walking into a mamak stall and saying only “Food, please.” You would get something — but probably not the roti telur with kuah campur and teh tarik kurang manis you were hoping for. The waiter is not being difficult; you simply did not say what you wanted. Talking to an AI assistant works the same way. The words you type are called a prompt, and the single biggest difference between a disappointing answer and a genuinely useful one is usually not the tool. It is the prompt.
Why the way you ask matters
On What Is a Large Language Model? you met the idea that an assistant writes its reply by predicting, piece by piece, what text is likely to come next. That has a practical consequence: everything you write steers the prediction. A short, vague request leaves the model to fill in the gaps with the most average guess — a generic answer for a generic person. A request that says who you are, what you need and how you want it gives the model far more to go on.
Think of the assistant as a very well-read new colleague on their first day. They know a lot about the world in general, but nothing about you: not your situation, not your audience, not what “good” looks like for this task. Anything you would explain to that colleague, explain to the AI.
There are no magic words. Good prompting is simply clear communication — the same skill that makes you good at briefing a colleague, a contractor or a tuition teacher.
The anatomy of a good request
Most strong prompts contain some mix of six ingredients. You will rarely need all six, and the order does not matter much. Treat this as a menu to check against, not a form to fill in.
- Task — what you want doneStart with a clear verb: write, summarise, explain, compare, plan, list, rewrite, check. “Write a polite email” is a task; “email landlord” is a topic.
- Context — the background the AI cannot knowYour situation, what has happened so far, what you have already tried. This is the ingredient beginners most often leave out, and it usually makes the biggest difference.
- Audience — who it is forYour boss, your Form 3 child, a customer, your future self. The same facts are explained very differently to a nine-year-old and to an accountant.
- Format — the shape of the answerA table, a bulleted list, three short paragraphs, a WhatsApp-length message, a day-by-day plan. Say how long, too: “under 150 words”.
- Examples — show, don’t just tellPaste a sample of the style you like (“write it in this tone: …”) or an example of the output you want. One good example often beats a paragraph of description.
- Constraints — the rules and limitsBudget, time, ingredients you lack, things to avoid, language (“in simple Bahasa Melayu”), and what to do if unsure (“tell me if you need more information”).
A handy memory aid: T-CAFE-C — Task, Context, Audience, Format, Examples, Constraints.
Before and after: three everyday tasks
Here are three ordinary requests, first as most people type them, then improved with the ingredients above. Copy the “Better” versions into any assistant and compare the results yourself. Notice that none of them contains real names, addresses or account numbers — you can describe a situation without handing over private details.
1. An email to your landlord
Write a polite but firm email to my landlord. Context: the air-conditioner in the main bedroom stopped cooling three weeks ago. I reported it by WhatsApp twice and was told a technician would come, but nobody has. My tenancy agreement says the landlord handles repairs to fittings.
Ask for a repair date within the next seven days. Keep it under 150 words, friendly in tone, no threats. Leave placeholders like [Landlord’s name] for personal details.
The vague version produces a bland, generic note. The better one gets the timeline, the evidence of previous attempts, the tone and a clear ask — and the placeholder trick means you never type real names into the tool.
2. A study plan
Make a four-week study plan for a secondary-school student preparing for a Mathematics and Science exam. They can study about 90 minutes on weekdays and three hours on Saturdays; Sundays are free. They are confident in Algebra but weak in Geometry and Chemistry.
Format: a table with one row per day showing the topic, the activity (revision, practice questions or past paper) and the time. Build in a short review every Saturday and a lighter final week.
3. A recipe from what is in the fridge
Suggest three dinner ideas using what I have: two chicken thighs, half a cabbage, eggs, an onion, garlic, rice, soy sauce, oyster sauce and some chillies. No oven — stove only. Cooking for two adults, ready in 30 minutes.
For each idea give a one-line description first. Then write the full recipe only for the one you think is easiest, with steps numbered.
The last request also shows a useful trick: ask for options first, then the detail for just one. You get to choose before the AI writes pages you do not need.
Describe situations, not identities. Never paste IC numbers, bank details, passwords, medical records or confidential work documents into an AI tool, and check your workplace rules before using AI for work. Staying Safe with AI explains why.
Conversation, not a one-shot
The first answer is a first draft. One of the most common beginner habits is to accept or reject it and walk away. Instead, treat the chat as a conversation with an assistant who does not mind redoing work. Follow-ups such as these are often more powerful than rewriting the original prompt:
- “Make it shorter — half the length.”
- “Too formal. Make it sound like a friendly neighbour.”
- “Turn that into a checklist.”
- “Option 2 looks good. Expand it, and swap the cabbage for long beans.”
- “What assumptions did you make? List them.”
Step through the loop below. Experienced users go round it two or three times on anything that matters.
If a conversation goes badly off track — the assistant keeps repeating a mistake — it is often quicker to start a fresh chat with a better first prompt that includes what you learnt.
Let the AI ask you questions first
Sometimes you do not know what context matters. Then flip the roles: ask the assistant to interview you before it answers. This is one of the simplest and most effective habits you can learn.
The assistant will typically ask about budget, ages of the children, how you are travelling and what the family enjoys — exactly the context you might have forgotten. It works for almost anything: a CV, a speech, a birthday party, choosing a laptop.
Two other “meta” moves are worth knowing:
- Ask for a better prompt. “Here is what I am trying to do… How should I phrase this request to get the best result?”
- Ask about uncertainty. “Which parts of your answer are you least sure about?” It is not a guarantee — assistants can be confidently wrong, as What AI Gets Wrong explains — but it often points you to what to check.
Your prompting checklist
Keep this list beside you for the first few weeks. After that it becomes second nature.
- ☐ Did I start with a clear task verb?
- ☐ Did I give the context a stranger would need?
- ☐ Did I say who the audience is?
- ☐ Did I say the format and length?
- ☐ Would an example make it clearer?
- ☐ Did I state the constraints — budget, time, things to avoid?
- ☐ Have I removed personal, financial or confidential details?
After the answer: ☐ refine with a follow-up · ☐ check facts that matter · ☐ make it your own before using it.
Ready-made templates are on the Prompting Cheat Sheet.
This guide’s framing The six ingredients are a teaching device rather than an official standard; different guides slice them differently. The assistant makers’ own advice (see Sources) agrees on the core: be clear and specific, give context, show examples and iterate. When you are ready for roles, structured prompts and chaining several steps, continue to Prompt Craft in the Practitioner track.
Which ingredient do beginners most often leave out, even though it usually helps most?
The AI knows the world in general but nothing about you. Background — what happened, what you have tried, what you need — is what turns a generic answer into a useful one.
The first answer is close but too formal. What is usually the best next step?
Treat the chat as a conversation. Specific feedback gets specific improvements.
You want help writing to your landlord. What is the safest way to handle personal details?
You can describe the situation without sharing identifying data. Fill in real details after you copy the draft out.
You are not sure what information the AI needs to plan your trip. What can you do?
Letting the assistant interview you surfaces the context you might have forgotten — budget, ages, transport, interests.
// Pause and reflect
- Think of a task you did this week — a message, a plan, a list. How would you write it as a prompt using at least four of the six ingredients?
- Which ingredient do you think you personally tend to forget when briefing people, not just machines?
- What is one piece of information you will make a habit of never putting into a prompt?
Your notes are saved privately in this browser.
Pick one real (non-confidential) task. Ask an assistant for it in one vague line. Then open a new chat and ask again using the checklist. Put the two answers side by side and note three differences. Finally, ask the second chat one follow-up to improve it further.
Key terms on this page
Sources & further reading
- Brown, T. et al., Language Models are Few-Shot Learners (2020) — the GPT-3 paper showing how examples in a prompt change a model’s behaviour.
- Anthropic, Prompt engineering overview (official documentation, accessed 2026).
- OpenAI, Prompt engineering guide (official documentation, accessed 2026).
- Google, Prompt design strategies (official documentation, accessed 2026).
- Mollick, E., Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI (2024) — a readable book on working alongside AI assistants.