Explaining Production Features — the mid-weight question in Section C. Short enough to control, heavy enough to make a real difference to your total.
The 6-mark question always follows a 1-mark question on the same work. Together they form a pair: the 1-marker asks you to name a feature; the 6-marker asks you to explain how that same feature helps the audience understand the stimulus, intention or theme.
The command word is always Explain. The question will always link the feature to one of three things:
Three real examples:
The examiner reads your answer and places it on a 7-rung ladder from 0 to 6. The words they use to describe each level are almost identical across every paper — learn these and you know exactly what they want.
AQA's own guidance recommends PEE for 6-mark Explain questions: Point, Evidence, Explain. It mirrors exactly how the examiner marks your response.
Aim for 2–3 PEE paragraphs in your answer. One paragraph won't get you beyond Level 3. Three focused ones, each with a different example, push you into Level 5–6 territory.
Step through a real answer. Tap each button below to see how the three sentences in this Shadows response map onto PEE:
Read the answer, then tap P, E, E to highlight each part:
Two full exemplar answers drawn from official mark-scheme guidance. Click Show PEE colouring on either to reveal how each sentence plays its role.
The opening motif in A Linha Curva is called Liris. The dancers use a grounded, rhythmic dynamic and sway their hips in a sensual manner. They perform shoulder rolls, wrap their arm over the head and pad their steps from side to side. These movements are rooted in Samba, a Brazilian dance style which also makes use of the hips and a lively, fun rhythmic yet sensual dynamic and so supports the stimulus of a celebration of Brazilian Culture well.
Another Brazilian style used is the non contact martial art form Capoeira. This style uses kicks, dodges, is acrobatic and is performed in duets. The canon duets near the beginning are performed on a diagonal from upstage right to downstage left and involve kicks over the head, dodges and close partnering. All of these extracts link to the stimulus of a celebration of Brazilian Culture through Capoeira and also through the party-like, lively dynamic.
Contemporary dance is woven into the dance throughout, but perhaps the most contemporary of all sections is the slow girl's section, or Adage. The dancers perform a slow, heavy lunge forwards, reaching the arms softly away from the body, contract in the torso, rise with one arm in 5th and pivot. Whilst this does not suggest celebration, it could link to the idea of the lazy, hot side of Brazilian Culture, perhaps a sleepy siesta.
Contact is used throughout Within Her Eyes to show A Love Story with a Twist. In The Beginning, at the start, the man lifts the girl in front of him, her back pressed against his chest and her knees high. He then lowers her to his knee and she reaches away from him whilst he supports her. This shows the Love Story with a Twist because the fact that she is facing away from him and reaching away whilst he tries to draw her close, suggests that she is not committed to the relationship as yet. Perhaps this is the 'twist'.
In Flow One, in the forest, the contact starts to change and the girl starts to give her weight to the man a little more. For example, she kneels on his thigh, her body wrapped around his waist with her head low. After this moment, both dancers arch their backs away from each other, the girl still balanced on the man's knee. This shows that the relationship is starting to become a little closer and perhaps she is trusting him more. This is a more equal sharing of weight, again supporting the idea that the love story is getting closer.
At the end of this section we see the girl wrap her arms around the man's neck, their heads close together. They then look at each other before the girl lowers her head to his chest. This shows an intimacy that we have not seen before and shows that the relationship is moving deeper.
These are the patterns that keep students stuck at Level 1–2 when they should be at Level 4–5.
A real past-paper 6-mark Explain question and its mark-scheme exemplar answer for each anthology work. Tap Show PEE colouring to see the structure at work.
At the start of Dave and Laura's duet, low level movement is used. For example, Laura sits on the floor, lies and rests her head softly in Dave's hand. This shows the theme of life's limitations because at this point Laura is on the floor, out of her wheelchair and unable to move very far.
Level is used to resolve this problem later on. Laura lies on her back whilst David and Amy crouch beside her and receive the wheels of her chair from Dave, who sits higher on the display cabinet upstage left. The three dancers reassemble the chair at low level. David and Amy then lift Laura into her chair gently. This use of level supports the idea of limitations and resolution because the dancers now move from the floor to higher up, enabling all to move freely.
Contrasting levels are used in the Gliding trio later on. This is where three dancers work in a 'unison of textures': Laura is the source of the movement and David and Amy adapt her movement into their own bodies. For example, Laura reaches forwards at medium level, Amy lunges and reaches at a low level, David reaches at a higher level. This supports the theme of life's limitations and resolution because it shows that all three dancers can perform a variation of the same movement together, unified, no matter what their physical ability. The limitations Laura faced at the beginning are now fully resolved.
The opening motif in A Linha Curva is called Liris. The dancers use a grounded, rhythmic dynamic and sway their hips in a sensual manner. They perform shoulder rolls, wrap their arm over the head and pad their steps from side to side. These movements are rooted in Samba, a Brazilian dance style which also makes use of the hips and a lively, fun rhythmic yet sensual dynamic and so supports the stimulus of a celebration of Brazilian Culture well.
Another Brazilian style used is the non contact martial art form Capoeira. This style uses kicks, dodges, is acrobatic and is performed in duets. The canon duets near the beginning are performed on a diagonal from upstage right to downstage left and involve kicks over the head, dodges and close partnering. All of these extracts link to the stimulus of a celebration of Brazilian Culture through Capoeira and also through the party-like, lively dynamic.
Contemporary dance is woven into the dance throughout, but perhaps the most contemporary of all sections is the slow girl's section, or Adage. The dancers perform a slow, heavy lunge forwards, reaching the arms softly away from the body, contract in the torso, rise with one arm in 5th and pivot. Whilst this does not suggest celebration, it could link to the idea of the lazy, hot side of Brazilian Culture, perhaps a sleepy siesta.
At the beginning of the Genesis section, the music features a steady throbbing pulse sound underneath a slow drum rhythm as the dancers writhe on the floor. There are also synthesized 'zapping' sounds over the top and clattering drum sounds. The central dancer points to individuals on a series of accents in the music, and the dancers respond by reaching out. This supports the theme of an emotional journey because we can interpret this section as the beginning of life. The pulse sounds could represent a heartbeat as the dancers lie and contract on the floor, the zapping sounds suggesting the electrical impulses kickstarting life.
Later, in Flow and Connection Between People, the dancers again work closely with the music. This time the music features violins playing rapid notes up and down the scale, creating an ebb and flow effect. Over the top, a high pitched violin pierces the air. The dancers are using waving technique here, rippling energy from the hands, up through the arms and through the torso. The correlation between music and movement, both moving fragments of notes and body parts in rapid succession, helps to communicate the emotional journey — this time communicating a flow of energy both within a dancer and between dancers.
Finally in Empowerment, the dancers work very closely with the music 'Til Enda' throughout. The music builds in power and intensity from slow piano notes at the start to an aggressive drum rhythm, 'machine gun like' rattles, piercing violin accents and then a driving rhythm moving the pace on. The movement works closely with it, beginning softly, hitting the accents, and moving into athletic contact and freestyling when the dynamic builds again. This all supports the emotional journey because this section represents empowerment and freedom — music and movement working together to communicate strength, endurance and climax.
A good example is the trio in Section 1. The three men perform solos in counterpoint to each other. Their movements are rapid, twisting, awkward with leg extensions and curved spines. The use of counterpoint suggests they are strangers with no relationship between them, much as the crowd in The Waste Land might have been. It also suggests a lack of emotion or empathy between people which reflects the destroyed and depressed mood of the poem.
Another example is in Section 7 when a man performs a painfully slow gestural solo stage left in counterpoint to a more supportive female duet upstage right. The counterpoint highlights a huge contrast between the dancers and places a focus on the solo as grief stricken and alone whilst the two women remain close. This supports The Waste Land because the poem has a depressed mood where the people were struggling to cope — the counterpoint in this section emphasising one man's struggle.
Later on in Section 7, counterpoint is used to show The Waste Land in a very literal way. A crowd of people walk across the stage from stage right to stage left, expressionless. In the middle, one female dancer faces the front and silently screams as she collapses to the floor. The counterpoint highlights her as the only person to be different amongst the crowd, or perhaps the only person showing their true feelings. This supports The Waste Land because the crowd represents the crowd in the poem, walking over London Bridge, and the solo girl symbolises the desperation that the city was experiencing.
The structure for Shadows has a semi-narrative structure taking us through snapshots of the characters' lives and the firmer narrative at the end. It is in 9 sections. The dance begins with Daughter's Solo featuring a frantic child rushing from upstage left to downstage right. She rolls this way and that to an agitated violin. Similarly a few sections later, we see Son's Solo, more desperate as he barricades himself in behind a table. These sections support the choreographic intent because they both show fear and highlight the characters as children.
Each section shows a different insight into the family. Mother and Father's Duet for example shows a calmer, supportive contact duet between parents performed to a more fluid piece of music. The ending of each section is very clear and marked by low piano notes. The transition between sections is shown by the performing character's slow return to the table. This is a contrasting section which shows the audience they are in more control than the children. In this way, the structure shows the end of each character's memory, emotion or interaction — the intimacy suggested by the choreographic intent.
The dance ends with an important moment for the narrative. The dancers put on coats and shoes, pick up their luggage and slowly walk forwards. The final image shows the family frozen mid-walk, looking out towards the audience. This contrasts all other sections and the audience understand the family are resigned to their fate. The semi-narrative structure has taken them through a snapshot of the characters' lives and their despair, to the final moment where they must face their fear.
Contact is used throughout Within Her Eyes to show A Love Story with a Twist. In The Beginning, at the start, the man lifts the girl in front of him, her back pressed against his chest and her knees high. He then lowers her to his knee and she reaches away from him whilst he supports her. This shows the Love Story with a Twist because the fact that she is facing away from him and reaching away whilst he tries to draw her close, suggests that she is not committed to the relationship as yet. Perhaps this is the 'twist'.
In Flow One, in the forest, the contact starts to change and the girl starts to give her weight to the man a little more. For example, she kneels on his thigh, her body wrapped around his waist with her head low. After this moment, both dancers arch their backs away from each other, the girl still balanced on the man's knee. This shows that the relationship is starting to become a little closer and perhaps she is trusting him more. This is a more equal sharing of weight, again supporting the idea that the love story is getting closer.
At the end of this section we see the girl wrap her arms around the man's neck, their heads close together. They then look at each other before the girl lowers her head to his chest. This shows an intimacy that we have not seen before and shows that the relationship is moving deeper.
Three activities testing your grasp of the six works, their key features, and how to spot PEE in real exemplar sentences. Complete all three, then submit.
At the start of Dave and Laura's duet, low level movement is used. For example, Laura sits on the floor, lies and rests her head softly in Dave's hand. This shows the theme of life's limitations because at this point Laura is on the floor, out of her wheelchair and unable to move very far.
Level is used to resolve this problem later on. Laura lies on her back whilst David and Amy crouch beside her and receive the wheels of her chair from Dave, who sits higher on the display cabinet upstage left. The three dancers reassemble the chair at low level. David and Amy then lift Laura into her chair gently. This use of level supports the idea of limitations and resolution because the dancers now move from the floor to higher up, enabling all to move freely.
Contrasting levels are used in the Gliding trio later on. Laura reaches forwards at medium level, Amy lunges and reaches at a low level, David reaches at a higher level. This supports the theme of life's limitations and resolution because it shows that all three dancers can perform a variation of the same movement together, unified, no matter what their physical ability. The limitations Laura faced at the beginning are now fully resolved.
The opening motif in A Linha Curva is called Liris. The dancers use a grounded, rhythmic dynamic and sway their hips in a sensual manner. They perform shoulder rolls, wrap their arm over the head and pad their steps from side to side. These movements are rooted in Samba, a Brazilian dance style which also makes use of the hips and a lively, fun rhythmic yet sensual dynamic and so supports the stimulus of a celebration of Brazilian Culture well.
Another Brazilian style used is the non contact martial art form Capoeira. This style uses kicks, dodges, is acrobatic and is performed in duets. The canon duets near the beginning are performed on a diagonal from upstage right to downstage left and involve kicks over the head, dodges and close partnering. All of these extracts link to the stimulus of a celebration of Brazilian Culture through Capoeira and also through the party-like, lively dynamic.
Contemporary dance is woven into the dance throughout, but perhaps the most contemporary of all sections is the slow girl's section, or Adage. The dancers perform a slow, heavy lunge forwards, reaching the arms softly away from the body, contract in the torso, rise with one arm in 5th and pivot. Whilst this does not suggest celebration, it could link to the idea of the lazy, hot side of Brazilian Culture, perhaps a sleepy siesta.
At the beginning of the Genesis section, the music features a steady throbbing pulse sound underneath a slow drum rhythm as the dancers writhe on the floor. There are also synthesized 'zapping' sounds over the top. The central dancer points to individuals on a series of accents in the music, and the dancers respond by reaching out. This supports the theme of an emotional journey because we can interpret this section as the beginning of life. The pulse sounds could represent a heartbeat as the dancers lie and contract on the floor, the zapping sounds suggesting the electrical impulses kickstarting life.
Later, in Flow and Connection Between People, the dancers again work closely with the music. This time the music features violins playing rapid notes up and down the scale, creating an ebb and flow effect. The dancers are using waving technique here, rippling energy from the hands, up through the arms and through the torso. The correlation between music and movement, both moving fragments of notes and body parts in rapid succession, helps to communicate the emotional journey — this time communicating a flow of energy both within a dancer and between dancers.
Finally in Empowerment, the dancers work very closely with the music 'Til Enda' throughout. The music builds in power and intensity from slow piano notes at the start to an aggressive drum rhythm, 'machine gun like' rattles, piercing violin accents. The movement works closely with it, beginning softly, hitting the accents, and moving into athletic contact when the dynamic builds again. This all supports the emotional journey because this section represents empowerment and freedom — music and movement working together to communicate strength, endurance and climax.
A good example is the trio in Section 1. The three men perform solos in counterpoint to each other. Their movements are rapid, twisting, awkward with leg extensions and curved spines. The use of counterpoint suggests they are strangers with no relationship between them, much as the crowd in The Waste Land might have been. It also suggests a lack of emotion or empathy between people which reflects the destroyed and depressed mood of the poem.
Another example is in Section 7 when a man performs a painfully slow gestural solo stage left in counterpoint to a more supportive female duet upstage right. The counterpoint highlights a huge contrast between the dancers and places a focus on the solo as grief stricken and alone whilst the two women remain close. This supports The Waste Land because the poem has a depressed mood where the people were struggling to cope — the counterpoint in this section emphasising one man's struggle.
Later, counterpoint is used to show The Waste Land in a very literal way. A crowd of people walk across the stage from stage right to stage left, expressionless. In the middle, one female dancer faces the front and silently screams as she collapses to the floor. The counterpoint highlights her as the only person to be different amongst the crowd. This supports The Waste Land because the crowd represents the crowd in the poem, walking over London Bridge, and the solo girl symbolises the desperation that the city was experiencing.
The structure for Shadows has a semi-narrative structure taking us through snapshots of the characters' lives and the firmer narrative at the end. It is in 9 sections. The dance begins with Daughter's Solo featuring a frantic child rushing from upstage left to downstage right. She rolls this way and that to an agitated violin. Similarly a few sections later, we see Son's Solo, more desperate as he barricades himself in behind a table. These sections support the choreographic intent because they both show fear and highlight the characters as children.
Each section shows a different insight into the family. Mother and Father's Duet for example shows a calmer, supportive contact duet between parents performed to a more fluid piece of music. The ending of each section is very clear and marked by low piano notes. The transition between sections is shown by the performing character's slow return to the table. This is a contrasting section which shows the audience they are in more control than the children. In this way, the structure shows the end of each character's memory, emotion or interaction — the intimacy suggested by the choreographic intent.
The dance ends with an important moment for the narrative. The dancers put on coats and shoes, pick up their luggage and slowly walk forwards. The final image shows the family frozen mid-walk, looking out towards the audience. This contrasts all other sections and the audience understand the family are resigned to their fate. The semi-narrative structure has taken them through a snapshot of the characters' lives and their despair, to the final moment where they must face their fear.
Contact is used throughout Within Her Eyes to show A Love Story with a Twist. In The Beginning, at the start, the man lifts the girl in front of him, her back pressed against his chest and her knees high. He then lowers her to his knee and she reaches away from him whilst he supports her. This shows the Love Story with a Twist because the fact that she is facing away from him and reaching away whilst he tries to draw her close, suggests that she is not committed to the relationship as yet. Perhaps this is the 'twist'.
In Flow One, in the forest, the contact starts to change and the girl starts to give her weight to the man a little more. For example, she kneels on his thigh, her body wrapped around his waist with her head low. After this moment, both dancers arch their backs away from each other, the girl still balanced on the man's knee. This shows that the relationship is starting to become a little closer and perhaps she is trusting him more. This is a more equal sharing of weight, again supporting the idea that the love story is getting closer.
At the end of this section we see the girl wrap her arms around the man's neck, their heads close together. They then look at each other before the girl lowers her head to his chest. This shows an intimacy that we have not seen before and shows that the relationship is moving deeper.