{"id":"acct-audit-sample-support-request","audience":"accounting","category":"finance-work","track":"finance","technique":"audience","level":"beginner","title":"Request audit sample support without hinting at problems","free":false,"task":"You're the senior accountant requesting support for three items the auditors selected. Write a prompt for a plain-text email under 100 words to Ola, the department lead. It lists the three items with their amounts, asks for PDF support by Nov 20, and says the auditors arrive Nov 23. Don't say or imply that anything is wrong, and don't speculate on why items were selected. No bullets or numbering.","materialLabel":"Auditor sample list and timing (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"AUDIT SAMPLE REQUEST - from Larkin & Shaw LLP, received Nov 5, 2026\n\nItems selected for testing:\n1. JE-3019, $48,000.00, Dec 29, 2025 - purchase of machinery\n2. Invoice A-1190, $3,400.00, Wexler & Pratt LLP - audit-related services\n3. JE-4102, $18,750.00 - Q3 bonus accrual\n\nSupport requested for each: the approval, the invoice or supporting calculation, and proof of payment where it applies. Please provide as PDFs, one file per item, named with the item reference (for example JE-3019.pdf).\n\nTimeline: our deadline to upload support to the portal is Nov 20, 2026. The audit team will be on site starting Nov 23, 2026.\n\nNote: the staff accountant guesses that items 1 and 3 were picked because they are the largest. The auditors haven't said why. Ola leads Accounting Operations and owns the files.","rules":[{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":100},{"type":"maxBullets","max":0}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Names the reader","patterns":["ola"]},{"label":"Lists the three items","patterns":["je-3019","a-1190","je-4102"]},{"label":"Gives the file rule and dates","patterns":["pdf","nov 20","nov 23"]},{"label":"Bans hints and guesses","patterns":["(do not|don'?t).*(imply|guess)"]},{"label":"Caps length","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","plain"]}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Speculating on selection","why":"The AI says the largest items were chosen.","fix":"Add: \"Don't guess why items were selected.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Missing details","why":"The AI says 'three items' without references and amounts.","fix":"Say: \"List the three items with amounts.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Missing the file rule or dates","why":"The AI asks for 'support soon'.","fix":"Add: \"PDFs, one per item, by Nov 20; auditors on site Nov 23.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Markdown extras","why":"The AI adds bold labels, headings and a closing note.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text, no bold. Output only the lines asked for.\"","checks":["plainText","maxBullets"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits.","fix":"Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each line short.","checks":["maxWords"]}],"hint":"The request needs exact items, formats and dates, and no hints of trouble. List them and ban speculation.","rubricLabels":["The email is addressed to Ola and lists JE-3019 ($48,000.00), Invoice A-1190 ($3,400.00) and JE-4102 ($18,750.00)","The email asks for PDFs, one per item named by the item reference, by Nov 20, and says the auditors are on site Nov 23","The email doesn't say or imply anything is wrong and doesn't repeat the guess about why items were selected"]}