Prompt Engineering Basics

What Is A Prompt?

A prompt is the input, instruction, or question you give to an AI assistant. Every time you type something into Copilot, you are creating a prompt.

The quality of your prompt directly affects the quality of the response.

Why Prompts Matter

AI assistants are powerful, but they rely entirely on what you tell them. They can follow instructions, but they cannot guess your intent.

A vague prompt leads to vague results. A clear prompt leads to useful, tailored answers.

The 4 Principles Of A Good Prompt

A strong prompt clearly defines four things: Goal, Context, Tone, and Sources.

1. Goal

What do you want the AI to do?

Good:

Give me an overview of the responsibilities and skills required for a QA tester in the games industry.

Bad:

QA tester

Without a clear goal, the AI may misunderstand your intent.

2. Context

What background information is relevant? This could include:

• your role or experience;
• your purpose (e.g. preparing for a job application);
• a specific company, location, or situation.

Adding context helps the AI tailor the response to your needs instead of giving generic information.

3. Tone

How should the response sound? Examples:

• Formal;
• Casual;
• Enthusiastic;
• Technical.

Specifying tone ensures the output matches your purpose — for example, professional writing versus creative content.

4. Sources (Or Data)

Where should the information come from? You can guide the AI by specifying:

• a company or website;
• a time range;
• type of sources (e.g. academic, official, recent).

This improves relevance and can include citations you can verify.

Putting It All Together

A basic prompt gives general answers. A well-structured prompt — Goal + Context + Tone + Sources — produces:

• more relevant information;
• better structure and clarity;
• personalised insights;
• actionable results.

Key Insight

Better prompts = better results.

Learning how to write effective prompts is one of the most valuable skills when using AI tools like Copilot.