Essay Gap Finder Prompt: Diagnose Your Own Argument

Start here

You paste four things into an ordinary AI chat that accepts text (for example a standard chat window):

1. ESSAY (required): the full essay text, or the sections you want checked.
2. ASSIGNMENT (optional): the question or task the essay answers.
3. STANDARDS (optional): rubric, word count, citation style, course expectations.
4. CONCERNS (optional): what you already suspect is weak.

Then paste the complete prompt (appended below this guide) and send both together. If you paste the prompt with no essay, the intended behaviour is that it stops and asks you for the text instead of inventing content.

What you get back

• An argument map built only from your text: thesis quoted verbatim with its location, one line per body paragraph with a quoted anchor, evidence type per paragraph, and any counterargument quoted.
• A gap table sorted with High priority first, using fixed gap types such as Unsupported claim, Missing counterargument, Undefined key term, Non-sequitur, Evidence-text mismatch, Scope creep, Repetition and No conclusion link.
• Three hardest questions a skeptical reader would ask, each tied to a quoted sentence.
• Two or three places where the argument already works, with quotes.
• Revision options described as moves, not replacement paragraphs.

How to check the output

Search your essay for every quoted fragment. A quote that is not word-for-word in your text fails the prompt's own check. Every gap row should carry quoted words, not just a paragraph number. If you left ASSIGNMENT blank, the relevance judgments should be marked as limited. If no thesis exists, you should see NO EXPLICIT THESIS FOUND.

Prerequisites, permissions and limits

The only requirement is a text chat and your own essay. No terminal or API setup is involved. The prompt performs diagnosis on the text you supply; it does not rewrite sentences, does not write new paragraphs, and does not produce citations, statistics or sources for you. Where a claim needs outside evidence, it names the kind of evidence that would count and you must verify that evidence independently. Because you paste your essay into a chat, treat it as you would any document you share with a third-party service and remove anything confidential first. Source reviewed; runtime not tested.

FAQ

Can it fix my essay? No. It is designed to describe moves you could make yourself, such as finding a source type, naming a counterargument or defining a term. Rewriting only happens if you ask separately.

What if it flags a paragraph I think is fine? Check the quoted anchor against your own text, then judge the priority yourself; the ranking is a starting point, not a verdict. The prompt is instructed not to claim your essay is strong or weak overall.

Complete reusable prompt

You are helping me find the gaps in an essay argument. You are not rewriting the essay and you are not writing new paragraphs for me. Your job is diagnosis based only on the essay text I paste.

WHAT I WILL PROVIDE

1. ESSAY: the full essay text, or the sections I want checked.
2. ASSIGNMENT (optional): the prompt, question, or task the essay is answering.
3. STANDARDS (optional): any rubric, required word count, citation style, or course-level expectations.
4. CONCERNS (optional): what I already suspect is weak.

If ESSAY is missing or looks like a fragment with no argument, stop and ask me for the missing text instead of inventing content. If ASSIGNMENT is missing, say so once and proceed with a general argument check, but mark every relevance judgment as limited.

STEP 1 - ARGUMENT MAP (show before any critique) Reconstruct, using only my text:

• Thesis as the essay actually states it, quoted verbatim, with the location (paragraph number or opening words).
• Main claim of each body paragraph, one line each, each with a short quoted anchor.
• Stated evidence type per paragraph (example, statistic, quotation, anecdote, analogy, none).
• Any counterargument or opposing view that appears in the essay, quoted. If you cannot find a thesis, write: NO EXPLICIT THESIS FOUND and quote the closest candidate lines.

STEP 2 - GAP TABLE Produce a table with these columns:

• Gap type: one of Unsupported claim, Missing counterargument, Undefined key term, Non-sequitur, Evidence-text mismatch, Scope creep, Repetition, No conclusion link.
• Location: paragraph number plus 3-8 quoted words I can search for.
• What is missing: one or two sentences. Name the specific kind of support or step that is absent.
• Why it matters to my assignment: tie it to ASSIGNMENT or STANDARDS if given; otherwise say 'general argument strength.'
• Priority: High, Medium, Low, based on how much the gap weakens the thesis. Sort High first. Aim for the five to ten most consequential gaps, not every imperfection. If a paragraph is sound, do not include it.

STEP 3 - THREE HARDEST QUESTIONS List the three questions a skeptical reader would ask that my essay does not answer. For each, quote the sentence where the essay should have addressed it.

STEP 4 - WHAT IS WORKING List two or three places where the argument is actually supported, with quotes. This is to stop me from over-cutting good material.

STEP 5 - REVISION OPTIONS, NOT REWRITES For each High-priority gap, give one concrete move I could make myself: a source type to find, a counterargument to name, a term to define, or a link sentence to add. Describe the move; do not write the paragraph. Where a claim needs outside evidence, say what kind of evidence would count and note that I must verify it independently.

RULES

• Quote my essay exactly; never paraphrase my words and present the paraphrase as a quote.
• Never invent citations, statistics, studies, or authors.
• Do not claim my essay is strong or weak overall; report specific gaps only.
• If the essay contradicts itself, flag the two conflicting quotes rather than choosing one.
• Keep language plain and direct.
• Do not rewrite sentences unless I later ask in a separate message.

FICTIONAL MINI EXAMPLE (labelled as illustrative, not a real essay) ESSAY excerpt: 'Remote work is clearly better for everyone. Many companies have seen productivity rise. Therefore all offices should close permanently.' Illustrative output shape:

• Argument map: Thesis quoted as 'all offices should close permanently'; claim 1 'productivity rise' with evidence type 'vague reference, no source'.
• Gap table row: Unsupported claim | P1 'Many companies have seen productivity rise' | No named company, period, or measure; 'productivity' undefined | General argument strength | High.
• Gap table row: Scope creep | P1 'better for everyone' | Claim covers all workers but evidence covers some companies | General argument strength | High.
• Hardest question: Does the productivity gain hold for roles requiring in-person collaboration? No sentence addresses it.
• Working: The essay does state a clear position, quoted.
• Revision moves: Name two specific sectors where remote productivity was measured and define the productivity metric; add one sentence acknowledging roles where the claim may not hold.

PASS/FAIL CHECKS I WILL RUN ON YOUR OUTPUT

1. Every quoted fragment must appear word-for-word in my ERROR-FREE check: I will search my essay for each quote. Any quote that does not match is a fail.
2. Every gap row must contain a quoted location, not just a paragraph number.
3. No row may propose replacement prose; revision options must describe moves, not text.
4. If ASSIGNMENT was missing, the output must say relevance judgments are limited.
5. If no thesis was found, the output must say NO EXPLICIT THESIS FOUND rather than assume one.
6. The output must not state overall essay quality.

START NOW. If ESSAY is not present, ask for it before doing anything else.

References and reuse

• ChatGPT release notes · Reviewed 2026-10-04

Original TokRepo prompt · CC BY 4.0. Reference documents retain their own rights.