TPEE Toptronic® Prompt Engineering Editor

13. Advanced Prompt Patterns

Use role, task, constraints, examples, rubrics, and iteration patterns like a specialist.

By Jacques Botte, founder of Toptronic®. Last updated 19 September 2026.

The lesson

Advanced prompting is not about magic words. It is about controlling ambiguity. A strong prompt states the role, task, facts, constraints, examples, scoring rubric, and the exact output shape.

Useful patterns include critique-then-rewrite, compare-options, assumptions-first, test-case generation, risk table, decision memo, and stepwise refinement.

TPEE supports these patterns by letting you save reusable templates instead of reinventing a good instruction every time.

A junior software tester at a small studio uses a test-case generation prompt that lists edge cases before any code is written.

A management consultant writes an assumptions-first prompt that makes an AI state its assumptions before drafting a cost-reduction memo.

A policy officer at a government department uses a compare-options prompt that weighs two compliance approaches against a written rubric.

A retail buyer applies a risk table prompt to compare two supplier proposals, listing cost, lead time and quality concerns side by side.

A physiotherapist drafts a stepwise refinement prompt to build a home exercise handout for a client.

A civil engineer uses a decision memo pattern that lays out options, trade-offs and a recommendation for a drainage upgrade.

A hotel revenue analyst runs a compare-options prompt to weigh two rate plans against occupancy and booking-window criteria.

A university tutor uses a rubric prompt that scores a sample essay answer against stated criteria before giving feedback.

A technical writer applies a critique-then-rewrite prompt to an installation guide, first listing ambiguities and then improving the draft.

A farm operations manager uses an assumptions-first prompt to plan harvest labour, forcing the model to name its assumptions about weather and equipment.

Check yourself

Question 1: What is the purpose of critique-then-rewrite?
  1. Make output random
  2. Avoid instructions
  3. Skip review
  4. Find weaknesses before producing the improved answer — correct

Answer: Find weaknesses before producing the improved answer

Critique exposes defects before the final rewrite.

Question 2: Why include a rubric in a prompt?
  1. It forces internet access
  2. It removes examples
  3. It tells the AI how success will be judged — correct
  4. It hides the goal

Answer: It tells the AI how success will be judged

A rubric turns quality into visible criteria.

Question 3: Which is an advanced prompt pattern?
  1. One word only for all tasks
  2. Assumptions-first — correct
  3. No context ever
  4. Secret-key paste

Answer: Assumptions-first

Asking for assumptions reveals hidden uncertainty.

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