All About Me: 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 ‘All about me’ can appear in any of the four exams - you might be asked to speak or write about yourself, or understand information about others

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

All about me: listening

  • In the listening exam Section A you answer in English (or by writing a letter); in Section B the questions are in Polish and you must answer in Polish

  • You need to understand the Polish information you hear and respond by writing words or phrases in English

  • Here is a question to practise this.

Worked Example

Janusz is talking about himself. Answer the questions in English.

1. How old is he?
2. What is his nationality?
3. What colour are his eyes?
4. How does he describe his hair? (give two details)

all about me: listening
00:00
/
00:00

Answers

The correct answers are:

  1. 15 (piętnaście)

  2. Polish (jestem Polakiem )

  3. blue (niebieskie oczy)

  4. long and black (długie i czarne)

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Be careful to include the correct number of details as indicated by the question and number of marks, like in part 4 of the question above.

All about me: speaking

  • In part 2 of the speaking exam (Photo card), the examiner will ask five prescribed questions:

    • Three of them are known and are prepared by student during the preparation time

    • Two of them are unseen and so cannot be prepared for beforehand

  • Here are some questions to practise

Worked Example

  1. What can you see in the photo? Co widzisz na fotografii?

  2. What do you think the girl is like? Jak myślisz, jaka jest ta dziewczyna?

  3. Tell me about yourself. Opowiedz mi o sobie

  4. Tell me about your typical day. Opowiedz mi, jak wygląda twój typowy dzień?

  5. What do you like to do in your free time? Co lubisz robić w wolnym czasie ?

All about me


Answers

  1. In the photo, I can see a girl. She is sitting at a desk and taking notes. There are some books, a laptop and a pencil case on the desk. She looks happy. Na zdjęciu widzę dziewczynę. Siedzi przy biurku i robi notatki. Na biurku są książki, laptop i piórnik. Wygląda na zadowoloną.

  2. I think she is hard-working and well organised. She likes studying and keeps her room tidy. Myślę, że jest pracowita i dobrze zorganizowana. Lubi się uczyć i dba o porządek w swoim pokoju.

  3. My name is Ania. I am sixteen years old and I live in a small town with my parents. I am kind and hard-working. Mam na imię Ania. Mam szesnaście lat i mieszkam w małym mieście z rodzicami. Jestem miła i pracowita.

  4. I usually get up at seven o'clock in the morning and go to school. After school, I do my homework. In the evening, I watch TV or read a book. Zwykle wstaję o siódmej rano i idę do szkoły. Po lekcjach odrabiam pracę domową. Wieczorem oglądam telewizję albo czytam książkę.

  5. I like playing volleyball and listening to music because it is interesting and relaxing. Sometimes I meet my friends. Lubię grać w siatkówkę i słuchać muzyki, ponieważ to jest ciekawe i relaksujące. Czasami spotykam się z przyjaciółmi.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

  • Use the acronym PALM to help you describe a photo - People, Action, Location, Mood. Identify the aspects of PALM in the example answer above

All about me: reading

  • In the reading exam there are questions where you need to select the correct statements from multiple options

  • It is very important to read the questions and the text carefully, as some information will be included as a distractor

  • Here is a question to help you practise this

Higher tier

Worked Example

Magda is talking about herself. Which two statements are true?

Nazywam się Magda i mam osiemnaście lat. Mam szare oczy i długie, rude włosy. Jestem Niemką. Jestem bardzo przyjazna, ale nie jestem wysportowana.

A. Magda is sixteen.
B. Magda has red hair.
C. Magda has blue eyes.
D. Magda is German.
E. Magda is sporty.

Answers

The correct answers are:

  • Magda has red hair. Mam rude włosy.

  • Magda is German. Jestem Niemką.

Spotting why the other answers are wrong can also help identify the correct answers:

  • Magda is sixteen is incorrect. Magda says mam osiemnaście lat, which means she is eighteen. 'Sixteen' would be szesnaście.

  • Magda has blue eyes is incorrect. Szare oczy means 'grey eyes', not blue

  • Magda is sporty is also incorrect. Magda says nie jestem wysportowana - be careful with negatives!

All about me: writing

  • In the writing exam, you need to translate five English sentences into Polish

  • In Foundation tier the five sentences are marked together: 5 marks for conveying key messages and 5 for grammar (10 marks)

  • At Higher tier you translate a passage (minimum 50 words, 12 marks).

  • This question will help you to practise translating into Polish

  • Here are some tips:

    • Translate meaning, but don't translate word-for-word

    • Check tenses carefully

    • Look out for false friends

    • Check the gender of all nouns and if they are singular or plural

Foundation tier

Worked Example

Translate these sentences into Polish.

  1. I have pretty, brown hair.

  2. I am sometimes jealous, but I am also very generous.

  3. I am Polish but I live in Austria.

  4. Although I’m quite shy, I get on well with the other students.

  5. My best friend, who I have known for ten years, is very helpful.

Answers

  1. Mam ładne, brązowe włosy.

  2. Czasami jestem zazdrosny, ale jestem również bardzo hojny.

  3. Jestem Polakiem, ale mieszkam w Austrii.

  4. Mimo że jestem dosyć nieśmiały, mam dobry kontakt z innymi uczniami.

  5. Mój najlepszy przyjaciel, którego znam od dziesięciu lat, jest bardzo pomocny.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

  • In sentences 2 and 4, after the verb jestem (I am), adjectives stay in their base form, but they must match the gender of the speaker

Unlock more, it's free!

Join the 100,000+ Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

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.