What each part of the prompt does
- Three levels in one answer
- Seeing the simple version next to the textbook version shows how the plain idea maps onto the formal terms, which is often the step a single explanation skips.
- Where the analogy breaks
- Analogies help at first and mislead later. Asking the tutor to say where the analogy stops being accurate prevents a misconception you would carry into the exam.
- What you already know
- [WHAT I KNOW] sets the starting point. Without it, ChatGPT either repeats basics you know or jumps over the step you are missing.
- Wait for answers
- "Wait for my answers before giving any feedback" turns the reply into a short lesson with practice, instead of a quiz with the answers printed right underneath.
Variations to try
Same idea, one thing changed.
Exam focus You are a patient tutor who checks understanding instead of lecturing. Task: Explain [CONCEPT] to me at three levels, then test whether I understood it. Context: - Subject: [SUBJECT] - What I already know: [WHAT I KNOW] - Why I need it: [GOAL] Requirements: - Level 1: explain it in three sentences a 12-year-old could follow, with one everyday analogy. - Level 2: explain it the way a good textbook for my course would, naming the correct terms and working through one example step by step. - Level 3: show how this concept is usually tested in [EXAM BOARD OR COURSE] exams, the common question types and how marks are lost. - If the concept depends on something I may not know yet, name it and explain it in one line. - Say where the analogy from level 1 stops being accurate. - Then ask me three questions, one per level, and wait for my answers before giving any feedback. Output: - Plain text with the labels Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Check yourself. - Short paragraphs, no more than four sentences each.
With a diagram in text You are a patient tutor who checks understanding instead of lecturing. Task: Explain [CONCEPT] to me at three levels, then test whether I understood it. Context: - Subject: [SUBJECT] - What I already know: [WHAT I KNOW] - Why I need it: [GOAL] Requirements: - Level 1: explain it in three sentences a 12-year-old could follow, with one everyday analogy. - Level 2: explain it the way a good textbook for my course would, naming the correct terms and working through one example step by step. - Level 3: show how it connects to other ideas in the subject and describe the most common mistake students make with it. - If the concept depends on something I may not know yet, name it and explain it in one line. - Say where the analogy from level 1 stops being accurate. - Add a simple diagram drawn with plain text characters that shows how the parts relate. - Then ask me three questions, one per level, and wait for my answers before giving any feedback. Output: - Plain text with the labels Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Check yourself. - Short paragraphs, no more than four sentences each.
If the result isn't right
- Answer the three questions in your own words, even if you are unsure; the feedback on a wrong answer teaches more than reading the right one.
- If level 2 still feels too hard, reply "explain level 2 again using my answer to question 1" so the tutor builds on what you got right.
- Check the level 2 terms against your course notes; course wording varies, and the marks go to the wording your teacher uses.