Writing a prompt that asks an AI tool to chart or summarise data

Name:

Date:

Class:

Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. Which prompt is better for getting an AI tool to chart data?

A Make me a chart of my data.

B Make a column chart of Month and Sales for a Year 12 class. Output as a table I can paste into a spreadsheet.

2. A student wants an AI tool to summarise survey results. Which detail should they include in the prompt?

A The field names, such as Age Group and Satisfaction Score

B Nothing about the columns; the AI will guess them

3. Which prompt clearly states the chart type?

A Create a line chart showing Temperature by Day.

B Show Temperature by Day in a good way.

4. Which prompt states the audience?

A Summarise the results using some words.

B Summarise the results for Year 7 students using plain language.

5. Which data is safer to paste into an AI tool prompt?

A Sample data with names replaced by IDs (Student 1, Student 2)

B The full class list with real names and home addresses

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1Use the columns Name, Year and Score		AToo vague: it does not name the fields, the chart type, the audience or the format.
2Make a bar chart of average Score by Year		BNames the fields so the AI knows exactly which data to use
3A good prompt states who will read the result, so the AI can pitch it correctly		CHere are 5 sample rows with names removed: Year 9, 72
4Only sample or de-identified data should be pasted into a prompt, to protect privacy		DPastes real personal information into an AI tool instead of sample or de-identified data.
5Make a chart of my data.		EThe audience is Year 9 students and their parents.
6Here is our full student list with names and addresses: Ava Nguyen, 12 King St, 88 ...		FStates the chart type and what it should show

Definitions

AI prompt

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

Fields: Day, Max, Min, Rain Chart the ___ temperature for each Day.

Create a _______ plot of Hours and Mark to show if the two are correlated.

Chart: bar chart of Sales by Month ________: the school principal Format: one PNG image

Data: _____________ sample, ID not Name

Give the result as a _____ with columns House and Average, then a short summary.

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A Task: Chart weather data

B Fields: Day, Max, Rain

C Chart: line chart of Max by Day

D Audience: whoever

E Format: PNG image

Question 2

A Use real data: Ava Nguyen, 88

B Chart: bar chart of Maths

C Audience: parents

D Format: one slide

Question 3

A Data: Item, Price, Qty

B Task: summarise sales

C Summary: total Cost by Item

D Audience: canteen staff

Question 4

A Fields: Day, Max, Min, Rain

B Audience: Year 9 class

C Chart: make something nice

D Format: PNG image

Question 5

A Fields: Name, Maths, Science

B Chart: pie Maths v Science

C Goal: show if marks are linked

D Audience: Year 11 students

Answer Key

Writing a prompt that asks an AI tool to chart or summarise data

Section A: Quick Questions

B — Make a column chart of Month and Sales for a Year 12 class. Output as a table I can paste into a spreadsheet.

A — The field names, such as Age Group and Satisfaction Score

A — Create a line chart showing Temperature by Day.

B — Summarise the results for Year 7 students using plain language.

A — Sample data with names replaced by IDs (Student 1, Student 2)

Section B: Match the Pairs

Use the columns Name, Year and Score → Names the fields so the AI knows exactly which data to use

Make a bar chart of average Score by Year → States the chart type and what it should show

A good prompt states who will read the result, so the AI can pitch it correctly → The audience is Year 9 students and their parents.

Only sample or de-identified data should be pasted into a prompt, to protect privacy → Here are 5 sample rows with names removed: Year 9, 72

Make a chart of my data. → Too vague: it does not name the fields, the chart type, the audience or the format.

Here is our full student list with names and addresses: Ava Nguyen, 12 King St, 88 ... → Pastes real personal information into an AI tool instead of sample or de-identified data.

Section C: Definitions

AI prompt — Instructions given to an AI tool. A good one states the data (field names), the chart or summary wanted, the audience and the format, using sample or de-identified data.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

Fields: Day, Max, Min, Rain
Chart the Min temperature for each Day.

Create a scatter plot of Hours and Mark
to show if the two are correlated.

Chart: bar chart of Sales by Month
Audience: the school principal
Format: one PNG image

Data: de-identified sample, ID not Name

Give the result as a table with columns
House and Average, then a short summary.

Section E: Spot the Error

D — The audience is vague. A good prompt names who will read the chart, such as 'Audience: Year 7 students', so the AI can pitch the language and detail.

A — Real names and marks should not be pasted into an AI tool. The prompt should use sample or de-identified data, such as 'Use sample data: Name, Maths'.

C — Cost is not one of the named fields (Item, Price, Qty), so the AI would have to guess. The summary should use a listed field: 'Summary: total Qty by Item'.

C — No chart type is stated. The prompt should name the chart and the fields it uses, such as 'Chart: bar of Rain by Day'.

B — A pie chart shows parts of a whole and cannot show whether two marks are related. The goal needs a scatter plot: 'Chart: scatter Maths v Science'.