The 4 parts of a good prompt

Learning goal

To understand the 4 parts of a good prompt and how to use them in writing clear and effective prompts.

Who

Students interested in AI and natural language processing.

What

The 4 parts of a good prompt include:

1. Goal - Clearly state what you want.
2. Context - Provide background information if needed.
3. Format - Use bullet points, tables, or short paragraphs.
4. Style - Use a formal, friendly, or technical tone as needed.

Where

In your writing and learning process.

When

When you want to create clear and effective prompts.

Why it matters

Ambiguity = random answers. Structure makes AI responses usable and consistent.

How

1. Use the 4-part structure.
2. Write 2 prompts that are clear and cite-ready.
3. Generate outputs; check if they match your intent.

Guided exercise (10–15 min)

Write 2 prompts with all 4 parts and generate outputs to check if they match your intent.

Independent exercise (5–10 min)

Refine one prompt to be more specific by adding data, format, or constraints.

Self-check

Verify that both prompts include goal, context, format, and style.

Bibliography (sources used)

None

Read more (optional)

OpenAI Prompt Guide: https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/prompt-engineering AI 30-Day – Day 2: The 4 parts of a good prompt