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GCSE Media Studies · key term
A detail that creates a mystery or unanswered question within a narrative, encouraging the audience to seek an answer.
Used by AQA and Eduqas
Paper 1, Paper 2
Revise: Narrative and Propp's character typesAn enigma code is a detail that creates an unanswered question within a narrative. Audiences may continue watching, reading or playing because they want to resolve that uncertainty.
A detail that creates a question or mystery, encouraging the audience to continue watching for an answer.
For an enigma code, identify the detail, state the question it raises and explain how the delayed answer encourages audience engagement. Do not just call a shot ‘mysterious’.
The 2025 Paper 1 questions covered magazine conventions, enigma codes, and social and cultural contexts. These illustrate how the cover can be assessed, not a prediction of future questions.
Read the command word, the named concept and the product before choosing evidence. An answer about general audience appeal will not answer a question specifically about enigma codes.
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A feature that creates an unanswered question or mystery and encourages an audience to seek its solution.
A feature that raises a question or withholds information, encouraging the audience to seek an answer.
A mystery, puzzle or unanswered question that encourages an audience to find out more.
Component 1, Component 2
A narrative device that creates questions by withholding information, encouraging audiences to seek answers.
Revise: Narrative and Propp's character typesRoland Barthes’s enigma codes and action codes offer another useful perspective on how narratives engage audiences.
An unanswered question or mystery that encourages an audience to discover what happens.
A feature that creates a question or mystery, encouraging an audience to discover the answer.
A detail that creates a question or mystery and encourages an audience to seek an answer.
