Hobbies & Free Time: Exam Skills (AQA GCSE Polish): Revision Note

Exam code: 8688

Sylwia Jurczak

Written by: Sylwia Jurczak

Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett

Updated on

  • The topic of 'Hobbies' can appear in any of the exams - you might be asked to speak or write about your own free time activities, or to understand information about others

  • Use the vocabulary and grammar we have seen so far to take a closer look at some typical exam questions and how you might tackle them

Hobbies and free time: listening

  • In the listening exam, there will be questions where you need to match each speaker to the correct answer from a list

  • There are usually more options than speakers, so you will not use all the letters

  • Don’t worry if you don’t understand every word that you hear - just listen out for key words

  • This question will help you to practise this

Worked Example

Three Polish teenagers are talking about their hobbies.

Tomasz
00:00
/
00:00
Ania
00:00
/
00:00
Adam
00:00
/
00:00

A

cook

B

dance

C

play an instrument

D

play video games

E

read

F

watch TV

What does each person do in their free time?
Write the correct letter.

  • Tomasz

  • Ania

  • Adam

Answers

  • Tomasz - D
    W wolnym czasie lubię grać w gry wideo. Uważam, że to jest zabawne.

  • Ania - A
    Moim ulubionym hobby jest gotowanie. W każdą sobotę gotuję z moją mamą.

  • Adam - F
    W domu lubię oglądać telewizję, to mnie relaksuje.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

  • Use the five minutes' reading time before the exam begins to note down possible Polish vocabulary for each English option, for example, for option A (cook) you might write gotuję, gotować

  • Listen out for key words, but be careful: speakers may use different forms

  • Don't decide on your answer after the first thing you hear - keep listening to the whole extract

Hobbies and free time: speaking

  • In part 2 of the speaking exam you will have to describe a photo

    • You must answer three questions that are prepared in advance and two questions that you don’t know beforehand

  • These questions will help you to practise both elements of this task on the topic of hobbies

Worked Example

You will then be asked five questions in Polish. Answer as fully as you can.

A boy in a navy hoodie sits on a sofa playing an acoustic guitar. The room contains a world map, bicycle and travel photographs; an open notebook, camera and mug are on the table.
  1. Co widzisz na fotografii? What can you see in the photograph? Co widzisz na fotografii?

  2. Jakie jest twoje ulubione hobby i dlaczego? What is your favourite hobby and why?

  3. Czego nie lubisz robić w wolnym czasie? What don't you like doing in your free time?

  4. Jak często wychodzisz z przyjaciółmi? How often do you go out with your friends?

  5. Co chciałbyś/chciałabyś robić w przyszłości w wolnym czasie? What would you like to do in your free time in the future?

Answers

  1. Na fotografii widzę chłopaka, który gra na gitarze. Siedzi na kanapie w swoim pokoju. Na stole znajdują się książki, aparat fotograficzny i kubek. Myślę, że muzyka jest jego hobby. In the photograph, I can see a boy playing the guitar. He is sitting on a sofa in his room. There are books, a camera and a mug on the table. I think music is his hobby.

  2. Moim ulubionym hobby jest słuchanie muzyki, ponieważ pomaga mi się zrelaksować i poprawia mi humor. My favourite hobby is listening to music because it helps me relax and improves my mood.

  3. Nie lubię się nudzić ani wykonywać prac domowych, ponieważ uważam, że są nudne. I don't like being bored or doing housework because I think it is boring.

  4. Wychodzę z przyjaciółmi dwa lub trzy razy w tygodniu. Zwykle chodzimy do kina albo na spacer. I go out with my friends two or three times a week. We usually go to the cinema or for a walk.

  5. W przyszłości chciałbym więcej podróżować i nauczyć się grać na gitarze, ponieważ lubię poznawać nowe miejsca i zdobywać nowe umiejętności. In the future, I would like to travel more and learn to play the guitar because I enjoy discovering new places and learning new skills.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

  • Try to express your opinions as much as you can

  • During the preparation time, it’s good to highlight all the nouns and adjectives that might be useful in this part

Hobbies and free time: reading

  • In the reading exam, you may be asked to read a short text and complete sentences by choosing the correct option from three possible answers

  • This question will help you to practise this

Worked Example

You read this blog post by a Polish teenager, Sylwia, about her hobbies.

W wolnym czasie chętnie chodzę na spacery. Prawie codziennie idę z moim psem do parku i uważam, że to bardzo odprężające. Moi przyjaciele uważają, że to nudne, ale ja uwielbiam być na świeżym powietrzu.

W domu też lubię oglądać telewizję, ale moi rodzice mówią, że robię to za często. Latem chciałabym zacząć nowe hobby. Interesuję się tańcem, ponieważ moja siostra tańczy w klubie i bardzo jej się to podoba.

Complete these sentences. Write the correct letter.

1  Sylwia finds going for walks …

A

difficult.

B

relaxing.

C

boring.

2  Sylwia's friends think that walking is …

A

healthy.

B

fun.

C

boring.

3  Sylwia's parents are unhappy because she …

A

goes out too much.

B

watches too much TV.

C

doesn't do enough exercise.

4  In summer Sylwia wants to try …

A

going for longer walks.

B

dancing.

C

joining a sports club.

Answers  

  • 1 – B (uważam, że to bardzo odprężające)  

  • 2 – C (moi przyjaciele uważają, że to nudne)

  • 3 – B (moi rodzice mówią, że robię to za często)

  • 4 – B (interesuję się tańcem)

Examiner Tips and Tricks

  • Read the whole text before looking at the questions - this gives you the overall meaning first

  • Always check who is saying what

  • If you are unsure, eliminate the options you know are wrong and make your best guess - a blank answer scores zero

Hobbies and free time: writing

Foundation tier

  • In the Foundation writing exam, one question asks you to translate five sentences into Polish

  • This question will help you to practise this, focusing on the grammar from this unit

Worked Example

Using your knowledge of grammar, translate the following sentences into Polish

  1. I enjoy going for walks and I take my dog with me every day.

  2. My brother goes out every weekend.

  3. We don’t like watching TV because it’s boring.

  4. She likes dancing in a dance group.

  5. I do the shopping on Saturdays.

Answers

  1. Chętnie chodzę na spacery i każdego dnia zabieram ze sobą mojego psa.

  2. Mój brat wychodzi na miasto w każdy weekend.

  3. Nie lubimy oglądać telewizji, ponieważ to jest nudne.

  4. Ona lubi tańczyć w grupie tanecznej.

  5. Robię zakupy w soboty.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

  • Read the whole sentence first. Understand the overall meaning before translating

  • Do not translate word for word. Think about how you would naturally express the idea in Polish

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Sylwia Jurczak

Author: Sylwia Jurczak

Expertise: Content Writer

Sylwia Jurczak is a Content Writer at Save My Exams and an experienced Polish teacher with over 12 years of teaching experience. She specialises in GCSE and A-level Polish and has experience as an AQA examiner for the GCSE Polish Writing component.

Bridgette Barrett

Reviewer: Bridgette Barrett

Expertise: Development Editor

After graduating with a degree in Geography, Bridgette completed a PGCE over 30 years ago. She later gained an MA Learning, Technology and Education from the University of Nottingham focussing on online learning. At a time when the study of geography has never been more important, Bridgette is passionate about creating content which supports students in achieving their potential in geography and builds their confidence.