Use four pieces of information

A useful request explains the task in ordinary words. For our made-up project email, these are the four parts.

  • Situation: a report is due this Friday, and two sections still need checking.
  • Task: write a short email asking about a new date.
  • Reader: the project team.
  • What to include: the proposed date, the reply deadline, a calm tone, and fewer than 100 words.

Tell AI what needs changing

“Make it better” does not name the problem. “Next Tuesday is proposed, not agreed” does. A correction should identify the wrong detail and say what to keep.

The notes and a complete request are supplied below. You can read, save, and check them without opening a tool. If you already have a permitted tool, use only the made-up material for this attempt.

Try it yourself

Turn the notes into a complete request

Allow about 15–20 minutes, or longer if you need it. This is a practice estimate. You can do the whole checking exercise on this page without an AI account or a paid plan.

Made-up notes for all three lessons

The task is a short email asking the project team about a new report date. Nothing in these notes describes a real person or project.

  • The report is due this Friday.
  • Two sections still need checking.
  • The project lead proposes next Tuesday as the new date.
  • The team has not agreed to next Tuesday.
  • The team should reply by noon this Thursday.

  1. Explain the task before asking

    Read the notes again. “Write an update about the report” leaves out the reader, the dates, and the reply you need. The complete request below includes all three.

    The reader is the project team. The task is a short email. The result you want is a reply about the proposed date, not a claim that it is agreed.

  2. Save this complete request

    Copy this into your own notes. There are no blanks to fill. If you have not chosen an AI tool, keep it for day 3. If you already have a permitted tool, you can try it now.

    Before you paste: use these made-up notes for practice. Before using work information, check that your workplace permits both the tool and the information. Removing a name does not make confidential material safe to share.

    Complete instructions to copy

    Write an email to the project team using only these made-up notes. Keep it under 100 words and use a calm, direct tone. Explain that two sections still need checking. Ask whether next Tuesday works as the new report date. Ask for a reply by noon this Thursday. Next Tuesday is proposed, not agreed. Do not invent a reason, an approval, or a promise. Notes: The report is due this Friday. Two sections still need checking. The project lead proposes next Tuesday as the new date. The team has not agreed to next Tuesday. The team should reply by noon this Thursday.

  3. Find two mistakes in this sample answer

    This sample deliberately contains two unsupported details. Compare it with the notes before opening the explanation. You do not need an AI tool to do this check.

    The team has agreed to move the report deadline to next Tuesday because the reviewer is away. Two sections still need checking. Please reply by noon this Thursday.
    Show the two mistakes and why they matter
    • The team has not agreed to next Tuesday. The answer turns a proposal into a promise.
    • The notes do not say that the reviewer is away. The answer invents a reason.

    The two unfinished sections and the reply deadline are present. Those correct details do not make the whole answer safe to use.

  4. Say exactly what needs changing

    For the sample above, use this correction. If your own answer has a different problem, name that problem instead. You do not need to create a mistake when the answer already passes the checks.

    If you are using a tool, type your correction in the same conversation and send it. Then check the new answer against the notes.

    Correction to copy

    Next Tuesday has not been agreed. Ask whether it works instead. Remove the reason about the reviewer because it is not in the notes. Keep the two sections that still need checking and the request to reply by noon this Thursday.

    One corrected version

    Subject: Could we move the report date to next Tuesday? Two sections of the report still need checking. Could we move the report due this Friday to next Tuesday? Please reply by noon this Thursday so we can confirm the plan.

    Different wording can be right. Check that the answer keeps the facts, asks about next Tuesday, includes the reply deadline, and adds no unsupported reason or agreement. If it still changes the facts, write the short email yourself. Do not send this made-up email to anyone.

  5. Try one small change

    Change the proposed date to next Wednesday and the reply deadline to 3 p.m. this Thursday. Change both the instructions and the notes before trying again. If you are staying on this page, rewrite the corrected email yourself with those dates.

    Check that next Tuesday and noon have disappeared from the new answer. The new date must still be a question.

You have finished when you can check these points

  • I have a complete request and can explain what the correction changes.
  • The answer keeps both unfinished sections, the proposed date, and the reply deadline.
  • No reason or agreement was added. I checked the changed dates too.

Then mark the lesson complete below. This records your own progress, not a test score.

Free course · Day 2 of 7

Keep your place and continue.

Mark this lesson complete after trying the example and checking the result. The on-page exercise counts too. Next: Choose a tool for your task.

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Keep these points

  • Explain what you need in ordinary words.
  • Provide the facts instead of inviting guesses.
  • Tell AI what needs changing.

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