Level 101 Cheat Sheet

Quick reference guide for prompt engineering fundamentals.

What You'll Learn

By the end of this cheat sheet, you'll have:

✅ Quick reference for all basic prompting techniques
✅ Essential LLM configuration settings
✅ Ready-to-use prompt templates
✅ Best practices checklist

Basic Prompting Techniques

Zero-Shot Prompting

Zero-Shot Example

"Explain quantum computing in simple terms"

Use for simple, straightforward tasks

One-Shot Prompting

One-Shot Example

"Translate 'Hello' to Spanish: Hola
Now translate 'Goodbye' to Spanish:"

Use for tasks that benefit from examples

Few-Shot Prompting

Few-Shot Example

"Classify sentiment:
'I love this!' → Positive
'This is terrible' → Negative
'It's okay' → Neutral
'This is amazing!' →"

Use for complex tasks requiring multiple examples

Chain-of-Thought Prompting

Chain-of-Thought Example

"Let's solve this step by step:
[Problem description]
Let me think through this:
[Show reasoning process]
Solution: [Answer]"

Use for complex reasoning and problem-solving

LLM Configuration

Temperature Settings

0.0 - 0.3: Factual, consistent (code, analysis)
0.3 - 0.7: Balanced (general use)
0.7 - 1.0: Creative, varied (stories, brainstorming)

Model-Specific Configs

GPT-5 (Latest):

{
  "temperature": 0.7,
  "max_tokens": 1000,
  "top_p": 1.0,
  "frequency_penalty": 0.0,
  "presence_penalty": 0.0
}

Claude Sonnet 4 (Latest):

{
  "temperature": 0.7,
  "max_tokens": 1000,
  "top_p": 1.0
}

Gemini 2.5 Flash (Latest):

{
  "temperature": 0.7,
  "max_output_tokens": 1000,
  "top_p": 1.0,
  "top_k": 40
}

Prompt Structure Best Practices

Context

Context Example

"I'm building a React app for a restaurant ordering system..."

Provide background information for better results

Length

Length Specification

"Write a 200-word summary"
"Provide 3-4 bullet points"

Specify response length for better control

Examples

Examples in Prompts

"Example format:
[Your example here]
Now create similar content:"

Include relevant examples to show desired format

Audience

Audience Consideration

"Write for senior executives who need business impact"
"Explain to a 10-year-old with no technical background"

Consider who will read the response

Role

Role Definition

"You are a senior software engineer with 10 years of experience..."

Define AI's expertise for better results

Prompt Templates

Analysis Template

You are an expert [domain]. Analyze the following [content type] and provide:

Key insights
Potential issues
Recommendations
Summary
[Content to analyze]

Use for analyzing content, data, or situations

Creative Writing Template

You are a [type of writer] writing for [audience]. Create a [content type] about [topic] with these requirements:

Tone: [specify tone]
Length: [specify length]
Style: [specify style]
Key points to include: [list points]
Please structure your response as follows:
[Outline structure]

Use for creating various types of content

Problem-Solving Template

Let's solve this step by step:
Problem: [describe problem]
Given information:

[fact 1]
[fact 2]
[fact 3]
Let me think through this:
[Show reasoning process]
Solution: [provide solution]

Use for complex problem-solving tasks

Best Practices

Do's

✅ Be specific and clear
✅ Provide context when needed
✅ Use examples to illustrate expectations
✅ Break complex tasks into smaller parts
✅ Test and iterate on prompts

Don'ts

❌ Don't be vague or ambiguous
❌ Don't assume AI knows your context
❌ Don't ask for too much in a single prompt
❌ Don't forget to specify output format
❌ Don't ignore model limitations

Common Use Cases

Email Writing

Email Writing Template

You are a professional [role] with [experience] years of experience.
Write a [tone] email to [recipient] about [topic].
Requirements:

[specific requirements]
[length and format]
[key points to include]
Keep it [length] and use [tone] tone.

Professional email writing with clear structure

Code Generation

Code Generation Template

You are a senior [language] developer with expertise in [domain].
Write a function that [description].
Requirements:

Function name: [name]
Parameters: [list parameters]
Return: [specify return type]
Include [additional requirements]
Use clear variable names and include documentation.

Structured approach for code generation

Content Creation

Content Creation Template

You are a [type of writer] specializing in [topic].
Write a [content type] about [subject] for [audience].
Structure:

[section 1]
[section 2]
[section 3]
Tone: [specify tone]
Length: [specify length]
Key points: [list points]

Comprehensive content creation framework

Common Mistakes

Vague Instructions: "Write something good" → "Write a 200-word blog post about AI trends"
Missing Context: Not providing background information
Unrealistic Expectations: Asking for things beyond model capabilities
Poor Formatting: Not specifying output structure
Ignoring Safety: Not considering potential harmful outputs

Success Checklist

Before sending any prompt, ask:

[ ] Is the context clear?
[ ] Is the length specified?
[ ] Are examples included if needed?
[ ] Is the audience considered?
[ ] Is the AI's role defined?
[ ] Is the output format specified?
[ ] Are the requirements specific?

Self-Check

Test your understanding of prompt engineering fundamentals:

What's the difference between zero-shot and few-shot prompting?
When should you use a low temperature setting?
What are the key elements of a well-structured prompt?
How can you specify response length in a prompt?
What's the purpose of providing examples in prompts?

Summary

This cheat sheet covers the essential techniques for effective prompt engineering:

Basic Techniques: Zero-shot, one-shot, few-shot, and chain-of-thought prompting
Configuration: Temperature settings and model-specific parameters
Structure: Context, length, examples, audience, and role considerations
Templates: Ready-to-use formats for common tasks
Best Practices: Do's and don'ts for successful prompting

Remember: Prompt engineering is a skill that improves with practice. Use this cheat sheet as a starting point and refine your approach based on results!

Quick Links

Level 101 Course - Complete course
The CLEAR Framework - Detailed framework guide
Practice Playground - Interactive exercises
Level 201: Advanced Techniques - Next level
Glossary - Key terms and concepts

Previous Lesson: The CLEAR Framework
Next Lesson: Practical Applications

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