How to write prompts that get better answers from an AI tutor

An AI tutor is only as helpful as the question you give it. “Explain photosynthesis” gets you a generic paragraph. A well-framed prompt gets you an explanation pitched at you, with the practice you need. Here are eight habits that make the difference.

1. Say who you are

Your class, board, course or exam changes the right answer. “I'm in Class 10 CBSE” or “first-year B.Tech” tells the tutor what level to aim at and which terms you already know.

2. Say what you want it to do

Explain, quiz, check my answer, compare, summarise, give an example: pick the job. “Quiz me” and “explain” produce completely different sessions.

3. Give it the material

Paste the question, the paragraph or your working, or attach a photo or PDF. “Why is my answer wrong?” only works if it can see the answer.

4. Ask for steps and reasons

“Show each step and say why it follows” turns an answer into a lesson. This is also the best protection against a wrong answer: you can spot the step that doesn't hold.

5. Set the format

Ask for what you can use: “in 5 bullet points”, “as a table comparing X and Y”, “in under 100 words”, “as a one-page revision sheet”.

6. Ask it to question you

“Ask me one question at a time and wait for my answer” makes the session active, which is where the learning happens.

7. Iterate with follow-ups

Don't restart. Follow up with “explain it more simply”, “give me an example”, “what's the common mistake here?” or “now a harder one”.

8. Verify what matters

AI can be wrong, especially with numbers, recent facts and references. Check anything you'll rely on against your textbook, and ask for sources when it matters.

A reusable template

When you're not sure how to start, fill in these five blanks:

1. Who I am: my class, course or exam.
2. What I want: explain, quiz, check, compare or summarise.
3. The material: the question, paragraph or my attempt.
4. The format: length, bullets, table, steps.
5. The check: ask me a question at the end, or tell me how to verify this.

I'm in Class 12 (CBSE, PCM). Explain Gauss's law with one worked example, using steps and saying why each follows. Keep it under 250 words, then ask me one question to check I've understood.

Before and after

• Weak: “Explain thermodynamics.” Better: “I'm in Class 11. Explain the first law of thermodynamics with one everyday example, then ask me two questions to check I've got it.”
• Weak: “Solve this.” Better: “Solve this step by step, and tell me which formula you're using at each step. [attach photo]”
• Weak: “Summarise this chapter.” Better: “Summarise this chapter as exam notes under headings, with definitions and formulae, under two pages.”

Prompts by subject

Maths and physics

• Solve this step by step. After each step, say which rule or formula you used.
• Here's my working and my answer. Find the first step where I went wrong.
• Solve it a second way, then tell me which method is faster for an exam.

Biology and chemistry

• Explain this process in five numbered steps, then give me a diagram I can label from memory.
• Make a comparison table of [X] and [Y], with one line each on structure, function and an example.
• Give me an exam-style 4-mark answer on [topic], then show what would earn each mark.

History, civics and languages

• Give me the causes of [event] as a timeline of five points, then ask me to explain each one back.
• Here's my paragraph. Mark it against this rubric and tell me what's missing. Don't rewrite it.
• Test my vocabulary on [topic] with ten fill-in-the-blank sentences, one at a time.

Coding

• Explain what this code does line by line, then give me one input that would break it.
• Don't give me the fix yet. Give me a hint about where the bug is.

When the answer looks wrong

Sometimes an answer is confidently wrong. Don't just accept it, and don't just regenerate. Try these instead:

1. Ask it to re-derive the result step by step and watch for the step that changes.
2. Ask for a second method and compare the two answers. If they disagree, one is wrong.
3. Check units and sizes. A speed of 10⁸ m/s from a falling apple is a warning sign.
4. Compare with your textbook or your teacher's solution.

Eight prompts to copy

• Teach me [topic] from scratch, then quiz me with five questions, one at a time.
• Explain [concept] using a real-life analogy, then give a formal definition.
• Here's my answer to this question. Mark it out of [marks] and tell me what I'd lose marks for.
• Give me three practice problems on [topic], from easy to hard, without the answers. I'll reply when I'm done.
• What are the most common mistakes students make on [topic]?
• Make a revision sheet for [chapter]: definitions, formulae, one worked example.
• I think [your explanation]. Where am I wrong or incomplete?
• Turn these notes into 15 flashcards.