My Family & Friends: 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 'My family and friends' can appear in any of the exams - you might be asked to speak or write about yourself, or 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

My family and friends: listening

  • In the listening exam, one type of listening question asks you to listen to the recording and choose three correct statements

  • This question will help you to practise this skill

Worked Example

Iza: listening
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Choose three statements from the table and write the correct letter in the box

A

Iza mieszka w Poznaniu.

B

Iza nie lubi pływać.

C

Mama Izy często pomaga jej w odrabianiu pracy domowej.

D

Tata Izy lubi grać w piłkę nożną.

E

Iza mieszka sama.

F

Brat Izy ma dziewięć lat.

Answers

  • A: Mieszkam z moją rodziną w Poznaniu.

  • C: Moja mama jest bardzo miła i często pomaga mi w odrabianiu pracy domowej.

  • D: Mój tata lubi w weekendy grać w piłkę nożną.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

  • Choose only statements supported by the text

  • Be careful with distractors – one wrong detail makes the whole statement false

  • Do not guess the answer if the text does not mention it

My family and friends: speaking

  • In part 2 of the speaking exam (Photo card), the teacher asks five set questions about the photo

    • Three are printed on your card, so you can prepare them in the 12-minute preparation time

    • Two are unseen

  • Here are some sentences for you to practise

Worked Example

  1. Co widzisz na fotografii?

  2. Jak myślisz, kim są te osoby?

  3. Lubisz spędzać czas z rodziną? Dlaczego?

  4. Opowiedz o swojej rodzinie.

  5. Co zwykle robisz z przyjaciółmi w weekend?

My family and friends

Answers

  1. In the photo, I can see a family. They are sitting together at a table in the garden and having lunch. Everyone looks happy. It is sunny. Na zdjęciu widzę rodzinę. Siedzą razem przy stole w ogrodzie i jedzą obiad. Wszyscy wyglądają na szczęśliwych. Jest słonecznie.

  2. I think they are the parents, two children and the grandparents. They are spending time together and talking. Myślę, że to rodzice, dwoje dzieci oraz dziadkowie. Spędzają razem czas i rozmawiają.

  3. Yes, I really like spending time with my family because it is enjoyable and we can talk together. Sometimes we play board games or watch films. Tak, bardzo lubię spędzać czas z rodziną, ponieważ jest miło i możemy razem rozmawiać. Czasami gramy w gry planszowe albo oglądamy filmy.

  4. I have a small family. I live with my mum, dad and sister. We are close and we often have dinner together. At the weekend, we like going for walks. Mam małą rodzinę. Mieszkam z mamą, tatą i siostrą. Jesteśmy blisko i często jemy razem kolację. W weekend lubimy chodzić na spacery.

  5. At the weekend, I usually meet my friends. We play football, go to the cinema or listen to music. Sometimes we watch films at home. W weekend zazwyczaj spotykam się z przyjaciółmi. Gramy w piłkę, chodzimy do kina albo słuchamy muzyki. Czasami oglądamy filmy w domu.

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.

My family and friends: reading

  • In the reading exam, there will be questions where you need to decide who says what

  • The answer could be more than one person, so it is important to read each person's text carefully

  • Look for synonyms, for example, instead of 'children', you may see the word for 'son' or 'daughter'

Worked Example

Ania and Tomasz are talking about their family and friends. Match the correct person with each statement.

Write A for Ania. Write T for Tomasz. Write A+T for Ania and Tomasz.

Ania: Mieszkam razem z moim mężem i moją córką. Nie mamy żadnego zwierzątka, ponieważ nie mamy na to czasu! Moja mama mieszka w Anglii.

Tomasz: Mam syna, który nazywa się Łukasz, oraz psa, który nazywa się Max. Odwiedzamy mojego brata każdego lata, ponieważ mieszka w Holandii.

  • Who is married?

  • Who has children?

  • Who has a pet?

  • Who has a brother?

  • Who has family in England?

Answers

  • Who is married? A

    • Ania lives with her husband ( z moim mężem).

  • Who has children? A+T

    • Ania has a daughter (moją córką), and Tomasz has a son (syna).

  • Who has a pet? T

    • Tomasz has a dog (psa). Ania says she does not have a pet.

  • Who has a brother? T

    • Tomasz mentions his brother (brata).

  • Who has family in England? A

    • Ania mentions England. Tomasz's brother lives in Netherlands (Holandii).

My family and friends: writing

Foundation tier

  • In the Foundation writing exam, you have to write four sentences about a photo, with two marks awarded per sentence

    • This question will help you to practise describing a photo on the topic of 'My family and friends'

Worked Example

What is in this photo? Write four sentences in Polish.

foundation

Answers

Here are some example responses.

  • Na zdjęciu są cztery osoby.

  • To jest rodzina.

  • Jest z nimi mały pies.

  • Jest dwoje rodziców, dwoje dzieci i pies.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

The phrase jest/są (there is / there are) is very useful and can be repeated as a sentence starter. Keep your sentences short, simple and factual - they must accurately describe what is in the photo!

Foundation and Higher tier

  • In the writing paper, there will be one question where you need to write a 90-word response guided by bullet points

Worked Example

You are emailing your Polish exchange partner about your family and friends. Write approximately 90 words in Polish.

You must write something about each bullet point. Mention:

  • kogoś z twojej rodziny i opisz

  • coś, co ostatnio robiłeś/robiłaś z członkiem swojej rodziny

  • coś, co wkrótce zrobisz z przyjacielem/przyjaciółką

  • dlaczego twoja rodzina i przyjaciele są dla ciebie ważni

Answer

Here is an example response

W mojej rodzinie jest pięć osób. Moja mama jest bardzo miła i cierpliwa, ale czasami też trochę surowa, co uważam za bardzo denerwujące. Lubi chodzić na długie spacery. Ma długie brązowe włosy i niebieskie oczy. W zeszły weekend poszłam z moim tatą i naszym psem do parku. Dużo się bawiliśmy i to było naprawdę świetne. Nasz pies biegał za patykiem cały czas i był zadowolony. W przyszłym tygodniu pójdę z moją najlepszą przyjaciółką do kina. Chcemy obejrzeć nowy film, ponieważ uwielbiamy komedie.
Moja rodzina i przyjaciele są dla mnie bardzo ważni, ponieważ zawsze mogę na nich liczyć i otrzymuję od nich wsparcie.

There are five people in my family. My mum is very kind and patient, but sometimes she is also a little strict, which I find very annoying. She likes going for long walks. She has long brown hair and blue eyes. Last weekend, I went to the park with my dad and our dog. We had a lot of fun, and it was really great. Our dog was chasing a stick all the time and was happy. Next week, I will go to the cinema with my best friend. We want to watch a new film because we love comedies. My family and friends are very important to me because I can always rely on them and they give me support.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

In the 90-word question, make sure you use the correct tense for each bullet point. Include a range of vocabulary and structures and ensure you respond to every bullet point.

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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.