Section A of the English Literature GCSE is on a novel. You should do the one you have studied - either Of Mice and Men or Stone Cold. This post will look at STONE COLD. There are not a lot of internet resources on Stone Cold, so take a look at what I’ve added to this blog and your own notes.
You will have to answer TWO questions on Stone Cold. The first is an EXTRACT question. An extract from the play will be reprinted, and you will be asked a question on it. In your answer, you should quote a lot from the extract and track how the play and characters change throughout it. You must answer on the WHOLE extract, not just the beginning or end.
The other question will be based on the WHOLE PLAY. This is the question where it would be handy to have memorised some quotes. If you look through this website, I have put together some of the key quotes for each character. Don't try and rewrite long quotations in the exam, or get too bothered about memorising. Short, one or two word quotations are best, as they prove you have a deep understanding of the play. For example, saying something like 'Shelter calls the people he has killed “recruits”, which shows how crazy he is', or 'Link talks about how homeless people become “invisible people.”'
As ever, try and focus on EXPLAINING, not describing. Don't fall in to the trap of just retelling the play. Instead of saying "Link leaves home and goes to London where he meets another homeless man called Ginger", say "Link is naïve and gullible when he first arrives on the streets, but he meets Ginger who gives him valuable tips on how to survive being homeless."
