A good essay prompt does most of the teacher's grading work before a single paper arrives. It shapes what students argue, how they use evidence, and how easy it will be to compare their work fairly. For Martin Suter's Lila, Lila, a novel about a waiter who passes off a found manuscript as his own, the themes of honesty, ambition, and love offer plenty of room for compelling questions. The challenge is choosing prompts that invite real argument rather than retelling.

Weak prompts for this novel tend to ask students to describe, such as "Explain what happens when David finds the manuscript." Responses to that kind of question look nearly identical, which makes grading dull and learning shallow. Stronger prompts ask students to take a position that can be challenged, like whether David's deception is more harmful to him or to the people around him. Disagreement among essays is a healthy sign that students are thinking independently.

Consider your students' reading level and the time available when selecting prompts. A ninth grade class working over a week needs more scaffolding than a senior seminar given a month. You can use the same underlying idea at different levels by adjusting how much structure the prompt provides. A scaffolded version might name two scenes to consider, while an open version leaves the choice of evidence entirely to the student.

Prompt Categories That Work Well

Organizing prompts into categories helps you vary assignments across a unit and prevents students from repeating the same skill. Character prompts examine David's choices and development, theme prompts explore ideas like authenticity and recognition, and craft prompts look at how Suter constructs the story. Argument prompts ask students to judge a character or defend an interpretation. Mixing these types across several assignments builds a more complete set of analytical skills.

• Argue whether David Kern deserves sympathy, using at least three moments from the novel
• Analyze how the novel within the novel shapes the way readers think about authorship
• Explain how Suter uses secrets to create tension in David's relationships
• Evaluate whether success built on deception can ever feel genuine to the person who earns it
• Compare the public image David presents with the private anxiety the narrative reveals

Matching Prompts to Skills You Want to Assess

Every prompt should point toward a skill you plan to grade, whether that is thesis writing, evidence selection, or comparing multiple scenes. If you want to assess how students handle counterarguments, ask them to address the strongest case against their own position about David's guilt. If you are focused on organization, require a specific structure such as a claim followed by two supporting scenes. Stating the target skill in the assignment sheet helps students understand what you will reward.

Avoid prompts that quietly require outside knowledge students might not have, such as expertise about the Swiss publishing industry or German literature. Those questions reward background rather than reading and can disadvantage students from different circumstances. Keep the evidence base inside the novel and the classroom discussion, which makes grading more equitable. If you want students to research context, make that a separate and clearly defined task.

Designing Prompts That Resist Easy Shortcuts

Students can now ask an AI tool to produce a generic essay about nearly any famous theme, so prompts that rely on common ideas are easy to answer without reading. A more resilient prompt asks for connections to specific moments, to in-class discussion, or to a personal judgment that must be justified. For example, you might ask students to identify the single scene where they believe David is most responsible and explain why, citing the text. Specificity makes copied or generated answers easier to recognize.

Consider adding a short process component, such as a one-paragraph planning note submitted before the draft. That note shows how the student arrived at their argument and gives you a baseline for their voice. It also nudges students to engage with the book earlier rather than the night before the deadline. Even a modest process requirement can noticeably improve the quality and honesty of final essays.

Making Prompts Easier to Grade

A prompt written with grading in mind tells you in advance what a strong response should include. Draft two or three sample thesis statements before you distribute the assignment and check that they would be easy to evaluate with your rubric. If you cannot imagine distinguishing a strong thesis from a weak one, the prompt probably needs sharpening. This small step saves considerable time when you are working through a stack of thirty essays.

Finally, keep a record of which prompts produced the best writing and which led to confusion. Over several years you will build a bank of reliable assignments tailored to your students and your teaching style. Sharing that bank with colleagues also helps a department move toward consistent expectations. A well tested prompt for Lila, Lila becomes an asset that improves with every class that uses it.