The Anatomy of a Perfect Prompt: Role, Task, Context, Format

If there is one framework worth memorising, it is this one. Role, Task, Context, Format — four small pieces that turn a vague request into a precise instruction. Once you internalise it, your prompts will become noticeably stronger within a single afternoon.

1. Introduction

Beginners often think great prompts are long. They are not. They are complete. The fastest way to write a complete prompt is to walk through four questions every time. This tutorial gives you that walkthrough and shows what each piece adds to the final result.

2. The Concept Explained

A good prompt almost always has four ingredients. Skip any one of them and the AI has to guess — and guessing leads to weak output. Here is the framework:

Role

Tell the AI what kind of expert it should be. This frames the vocabulary, depth, and style of its answer.

Act as a senior tax accountant

produces a different answer to the same question than Act as a finance YouTuber explaining to teenagers.

Task

State the action you want, in one clear verb. "Summarise", "compare", "draft", "rewrite", "plan", "critique". Vague verbs like "help me with" leave the AI guessing.

Context

Provide the raw material — the document to summarise, the data to analyse, your situation, the audience, the constraints. Context is where you transfer your knowledge of the problem to the AI.

Format

Describe what the output should look like. Bullet list? Table? 200 words? JSON? Markdown headings? When you specify this, the AI stops inventing its own format.

3. Without the Framework

give me feedback on my essay

4. With the Framework

Act as a strict university writing tutor. [ROLE]

Review the essay below and give critical feedback. [TASK]

The essay is for an undergraduate philosophy course
and the topic is whether free will can exist in a
deterministic universe. The grading rubric values
clarity of argument, use of evidence, and counter-
argument handling. [CONTEXT]

Essay:
"""
… paste essay here …
"""

Return your feedback in this format: [FORMAT]
- One-line overall verdict
- 3 specific strengths (with line references)
- 3 specific weaknesses (with line references)
- 1 priority improvement to make first

5. Step-by-Step: Building a Prompt with the Framework

1. Decide the role. Ask yourself:

   What kind of expert would I hire for this?

2. Pick the strongest verb. One sharp action. Avoid "help me" — choose "draft", "critique", "compare", "summarise".
3. Dump the context. Paste documents, list constraints, mention the audience, share examples of past attempts.
4. Sketch the format. Imagine the answer in your head. Describe its shape — list, table, headings, length.
5. Read your prompt once. Can a human stranger follow it? If yes, the AI can too.

Tip: You don't always need all four. Quick chats can drop Role or Format. But for any serious task — drafting, analysis, decision-making — having all four turns mediocre AI output into great output.

6. Practice Exercises

7. Key Takeaways