Understanding the Prompt

Everyone knows how overwhelming it can be to look at a blank screen or piece of paper when expected to write something. Imagine never being given any instruction on how to compose a piece of academic writing. That would be difficult! Although writing prompts might feel burdensome, they actually offer guidance to the writer. There are just a few strategies to understanding any prompt you're given so you can write the most effective essay possible in any circumstance.

An Essay Prompt: Definition & Meaning

A writing prompt is an introduction to a topic as well as instruction on how to write about it. Writing prompts, often used for essay assignments, are meant to direct the writing and encourage interest in the topic of discussion.

An essay prompt could be anything meant to make you engage with the subject at hand; it could be a question, a Statement, or even a picture or song. In addition to allowing you to interact with an academic topic, Essay Prompts are also crafted to challenge your writing skills.

A writing prompt will often explain what style or structure you should use in your essay (if not contained in the prompt itself, you should be informed elsewhere in the assignment). This all depends on what the writing prompt is asking you to do.

Prompt Writing Examples

Writing prompts can vary in style and length, and there are several different types, each focusing on something else.

Prompts can also vary by how much information they give you. Sometimes, a writing prompt will provide the writer with a scenario and ask them to defend their position on the topic, or give them a short reading assignment and ask them to respond. Other times, the prompt is very short and to the point.

It’s ultimately up to the writer to respond accordingly, but it’s helpful to understand what precisely you are supposed to do.

Below are the different types of Essay Prompts you might encounter, as well as an example of each. Some examples are lengthy and detailed, while others are simple questions; it is important to be prepared for either case.

Descriptive Writing Prompt

A descriptive writing prompt aims to get the writer to describe something specific.

How to respond: The goal here is to use vivid language, bringing the reader into the Description so they almost feel like they are experiencing it for themselves.

Narrative Writing Prompt

Narrative writing tells a story. A Narrative Essay prompt will ask you to walk the reader through an experience or scene using creative, insightful language.

A Narrative Essay prompt could easily be confused with descriptive. Still, the difference is that you’re responsible for explaining the series of events, not just describing one particular thing about the event. You may use elements of descriptive writing for a Narrative Essay.

How to respond: Be prepared to tell a story. It might be based on real-life experiences or entirely fictional— that is up to you. You’ll organize your response according to the series of events in the story.

Expository Writing Prompt

Expository is a synonym for explanatory, so you will be asked to explain something in detail in this type of prompt. In an Expository Essay, you’ll need to support the information you’re sharing with facts.

How to respond: Depending on the topic, you should generate a hypothesis and use Evidence to support it. Present a coherent Argument to the reader.

Persuasive Writing Prompt

A writing prompt that asks for a persuasive response is trying to get the writer to convince the audience of something. In persuasive writing, you’ll need to take a stance or side of an Argument and persuade the reader to agree with your position.

How to respond: After considering the topic of the prompt, choose an argument that you can defend with logic and evidence (if possible) and try to convince the reader of your position.

Steps to Understanding the Prompt

When presented with a writing prompt, you can take a few steps to make sure you fully understand the assignment and can produce the most effective essay or piece of writing. Regardless of the length of the prompt, what type it is, or how detailed it is, you can use this process to get a firm grasp on the meaning of the prompt and what to write in response.

Fig. 1 - Take notes to understand the prompt.

1. Read and Re-Read the Prompt

Step one may feel like an obvious one, but the importance of reading the prompt well cannot be overstated. It’s also important to not just read it but to read it without focusing on what your response will be just yet. Your agenda in this step is to simply take in the information. Feel free to take notes or underline keywords if you're reading new information (and perhaps even if you're already familiar with it).

Consider reading the prompt several times for a deeper understanding (if time allows).

2. Read the Prompt Critically

Next, take another pass at the prompt, but this time read with a more critical eye. Look for keywords or phrases, and pay close attention to action words—the prompt is ultimately asking you to do something.

Start to look for details and information that you can use in your response. Take notes, circle, or underline anything you might use. This will save you time as you begin writing.

3. Summarize the Prompt in a Sentence

The purpose of step three is twofold: to Summarize the prompt by distilling it down to its most important parts (i.e. the part that includes your assignment) and to put it in your own words. Pay attention to keywords and phrases used in the prompt, and be sure to include them in your summary.

Summarizing the prompt will allow you to fully digest the information in the prompt and further cement your understanding by reproducing it.

4. Ask Yourself Questions About the Prompt

It’s time to start thinking about the purpose of the assignment. You can ask yourself these questions to dig into what exactly you need to do next:

Understanding the Prompt: Who Is the Audience for the Essay?

Before you begin to write, you always need to identify your audience. Why? Because your audience should influence how you approach responding to the prompt. In an academic essay, you should always assume your audience is your teacher or whoever has written the essay prompt. Remember to write your essay in a way so that anyone can understand your response.

Understanding the Prompt: What Form of Writing Does it Require?

Do you need to construct an argument or narrate an event? Scan the prompt for clues about what type of response you should write. Sometimes a prompt will tell you precisely what type of essay to write, and other times you are given the freedom to respond as you see fit.

What Is the Purpose of the Prompt?

Look for action words in the prompt such as ‘describe’ or ‘explain’, as these give you a major clue about the purpose of the prompt. These words tell you what to do.

Here are a few keywords and phrases commonly used in writing prompts and their meanings:

• Compare - look for similarities between two things (texts, images, etc.).

• Contrast - look for differences between two things.

• Define - explain what something means and give an official Definition.

• Illustrate - highlight some detail about the topic of discussion.

If you don’t find words like this, think through a possible response and try to identify what type of writing would answer the question posed in the prompt.

Understanding the Prompt: What Information Do I Need to Complete the Task?

Are there any graphs or statistics in the prompt that you might need to reference in your essay? Circle this information so you can easily find it later.

If this prompt is not part of an exam, you may want to research the topic to round out your answer with details and accurate information.

Understanding the Prompt: What Kind of Details or Arguments Does it Suggest?

Look for what information you’re supposed to include in your response. These are specific details the prompt asks you to consider, such as the findings of a study or a fictional character’s personality traits.

Is it possible that these details are enough to support your Thesis statement? Could each detail be enough for an entire paragraph in a basic, five-paragraph structured essay? Answering these questions might be a big help as you begin to plan your essay.

Fig. 2 - What comes next once you understand the prompt?

I Understand the Prompt: Now What?

Now that you have come to thoroughly understand the prompt and what it is asking you to do, the next step is to plan an outline.

Even if you are taking an exam and have limited time, you should still devote a few minutes to drafting an outline. An outline is likely to save you time in the long run as it gives your writing direction, and it can keep you from meandering without ever proving your point.

Armed with a firm understanding of the prompt and an outline of how you intend to answer the prompt’s ultimate question, you can now begin to write your amazing essay!