Wednesday, 15 October 2025

My 9-step prompt with Copilot + an interesting surprise

 

Bargain Sweater – experimenting with Turboscribe and Copilot

After Matthew Wemyss said on a webinar I was watching entitled AI Literacy – What Is It, Really? that ChatGPT was the worst LLM for young students to be using unsupervised, I decided to see if my 9-step prompt would work just as well on Copilot as on ChatGPT.

I used my ‘Bargain Sweater’ example on my Android phone, on my iPad and on my computer. It was so interesting that I have already made two videos of how that worked out. The one on my Android phone is already on YouTube, the iPad one just needs editing and the one on my PC, I haven’t even made yet.

There is ONE HUGE difference between how my 9-step prompt works with ChatGPT and Copilot. With Copilot when you ask for the different versions to be read aloud, you never know what you’ll get! Admittedly, Copilot usually reads out the written version verbatim prefaced by notes like (With an animated and bubbly tone), but sometimes it produces a much more colloquial version of the same text and even, on one occasion it reenacted the dialogue between the two women. Sadly, students don’t see these alternative versions written down and if they want to listen to them again, they may well just get the verbatim text or another colloquial version or even a recreation of the two women speaking!

To give you a flavour of the spoken language that Copilot sometime produces, here are a few examples:

1.      if you don't mind me asking?

2.      Go on have a guess.

3.      they were just chatting away

4.      let me tell you the compliments were flying.

5.      absolutely adored it

6.      they got on to the topic of how much it cost

7.      … was like oh why don't you guess

8.      nifty little 25% discount

      Here's the 11-minute video I made by recording the screen on my Android phone and commenting on it:



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    More details:

TI refers to Text Inspector: Analyse the Difficulty Level of English Texts and TA refers to GSETeacher Toolkit Text Analyzer and Av is a composite score arrived at by averaging the two scores

1 Using my Android mobile phone and my Hotmail account and the voice ‘Wave’ at 80% of normal speed

Step 3: Write the corrected version without mistakes. (TI B1+ 41%    TA B1 48 = Av B1.25 44.5)
Read aloud verbatim

There are two women talking about a new sweater that one of them bought. One of the women told the other that she likes her new sweater a lot, and the other replied that she bought it in the sales. The woman asked how much it cost, and the other said she could guess the price.

The woman guessed that the price might be 80 or 100. But the other was very happy and said no, because there was a 25% discount, so the final price was 67. She thought the sweater was a bargain.

Step 5: Write the changed version. (TI B2+ 52% TA B1+ 55 = Av B2 53.5)
Read aloud in two different ways apart from verbatim:

1.      Re-enactment Oh what a lovely new sweater you have. It looks absolutely stylish on you. Oh thank you.
I actually picked it up during the sales recently. Really? Well how much did it cost you if you don't mind me asking?
Go on have a guess. Might say maybe 80 or 100 euros. Nope thanks to a 25% discount I got it for just 67 euros. I think it's an excellent bargain.
(TI B1+ 38% TA B1+ 51 = Av B1+ 44.5)

2.      Colloquial (Excited and lively.) Ah so there were these two women and they were just chatting away about this fabulous new sweater that one of them had bought and let me tell you the compliments were flying. Her friend absolutely adored it so of course they got on to the topic of how much it cost and guess what the lady with the sweater was like oh why don't you guess and the first woman thought maybe 80 or 100 euros but no I don't know. Thanks to this nifty little 25% discount the final price was just 67 euros. Can you believe that bargain? (TI B2+ 51% TA B1+ 57 = Av B2 54)

Verbatim Two women were chatting about a new sweater that one of them had recently bought. One of them complimented her friend on the stylish new sweater, and the other explained that she had picked it up during the sales. Curious to know more, the first woman asked about the price, and her friend invited her to guess how much it had cost.

She guessed either 80 or 100 euros, but her friend smiled and said no. Thanks to a 25% discount, the final price came down to just 67 euros. She considered it an excellent bargain.

Step 7: Write the changed version. (TI C1+ 65% TA B2 64 = Av B2.75 64.5 )
                Read aloud verbatim

Two women engaged in a lively conversation about a recent purchase one of them had made. One admired the elegant design and colour of the sweater, while the other mentioned that she had found it during a seasonal sale. Intrigued, the first woman inquired how much it had cost, and her friend playfully suggested she try to guess the price.

She estimated the cost to be around 80 or 100 euros, but her friend smiled and shook her head. Thanks to a generous 25% markdown, the final price was reduced to a mere 67 euros. She felt she had made a fantastic deal.

Let me know when you're ready for step 8 by saying "next."

Step 9: Write the changed version. (TI C2 76% TA B2+ 68 = Av C1.25 72)
Read aloud in a different way, but the second time it was verbatim

Colloquial (With an animated and bubbly tone) Two women were deep in conversation just absolutely buzzing talking about this amazing fashion find that one of them had scooped up and one of them you know she couldn't stop raving about the sweaters she cut and this gorgeous sophisticated colour palette.

It was just to die for which got the other women all excited and she jumped in to say she found it during this super exclusive limited time seasonal promo. I mean talk about a fashion win and of course her friend now super curious just had to know the price. She was like come on tell me how much it was.

But the buyer oh she played it cool teasing her like why don't you take a guess first. So she threw out a guess thinking probably like 80 or maybe 100 euros but then the buyer just broke into this big grin and was like nope. Because get this thanks to this massive 25 discounted checkout the final price was just 67 euros.

Can you believe it? She was over the moon absolutely thrilled with the deal thought it was a total steal. (TI C1 60% TA B2 66 = Av B2+ 63)

Verbatim Two women were deep in conversation, discussing a recent fashion find that one of them had proudly acquired. One of them remarked on the sweater’s chic cut and sophisticated colour palette, which prompted the other to share that she had discovered it during a limited-time seasonal promotion. Curious, her friend asked what the price had been, and the buyer teased her to take a guess before revealing the amount.

She ventured a guess of 80 or perhaps 100 euros, but the buyer grinned and gently corrected her. Thanks to a substantial 25% discount applied at checkout, the final price dropped to an impressive 67 euros. She was delighted with the value and considered it a true steal.

The progression through the different versions was fine but when I asked for Version 5 to be read aloud it didn’t match the script and in fact each time I asked it to read it aloud it was slightly different. Sometimes, with steps 7 and 9 it did read the text aloud verbatim.

Is this a good thing or a disaster?

I’ve checked the CEFR levels of the transcripts of the improvised readings aloud and they are all at a slightly lower level but much more colloquial with many features of spoken English and provide an excellent opportunity for exposure to these spoken forms, but with less possibility of asking about them as they are only spoken

1.      if you don't mind me asking?

2.      Go on have a guess.

3.      they were just chatting away

4.      let me tell you the compliments were flying.

5.      absolutely adored it

6.      they got on to the topic of how much it cost

7.      … was like oh why don't you guess

8.      nifty little 25% discount

 

9.      if you don't mind me asking?

10. Go on have a guess.

11. they were just chatting away

12. let me tell you the compliments were flying.

13. absolutely adored it

14. they got on to the topic of how much it cost

15. … was like oh why don't you guess

16. nifty little 25% discount

 

1.      deep in conversation

2.      just absolutely buzzing

3.      one of them had scooped up

4.      one of them you know she couldn't

5.      raving about

6.      It was just to die for

7.      got the other women all excited

8.      she jumped in to say

9.      super exclusive limited time seasonal promo

10. I mean talk about a fashion win

11. her friend now super curious just had to know the price

12. She was like come on

13. the buyer oh she played it cool teasing her like

14. she threw out a guess

15. thinking probably like 80 or maybe 100 euros

16. the buyer just broke into this big grin

17. and was like nope.

18. Because get this thanks to

19. She was over the moon

20. absolutely thrilled with the deal

21. thought it was a total steal.


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