My Town & Region: 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 town and region' can appear in any of the exams - you might be asked to understand descriptions of towns and regions, or give your own opinions about where you live

  • 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 town and region: listening

  • In the listening exam, you may be asked to complete a table in Polish based on what you hear

  • Read the headings and example carefully before the recording starts so you know what information to listen out for

Foundation tier

Worked Example

Kasia talks about her town and the area where she lives.

My town and region: listening
00:00
/
00:00

What does she say about her town and region? Complete the table.

Answer both parts of the question in Polish.

What does she say?

Example: in the future

chciałaby mieszkać nad morzem

1.in the past

2.now

Answers

in the past -Mieszkała w małej wiosce.
now - Mieszka w większym mieście.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

  • Listen carefully for different time frames, such as the past, present and future

  • You do not need to write a full sentence — give the key information required

Higher tier

  • In the listening exam, you will listen to a recording and answer questions in Polish based on what you hear

  • Read each question carefully before listening so you know what information to listen out for

  • Give precise answers and make sure you answer exactly what the question asks

Worked Example

You hear a young person giving their opinion about the town and region where they live.

My home and region: listening H
00:00
/
00:00

Answer the questions in Polish.

  1. Dlaczego rozmówca nie lubi mieszkać w swoim mieście?

  2. Co, jego zdaniem, powinno się zmienić w mieście?

  3. Jak często odwiedza centrum miasta?

  4. Co najbardziej podoba mu się w jego regionie?

Answers

  1. Ponieważ jest bardzo zatłoczone, szczególnie w centrum. Because it is very crowded, especially in the town centre.

  2. Powinno być więcej terenów zielonych i ścieżek rowerowych. There should be more green areas and cycle paths.

  3. Zwykle raz w tygodniu. Usually once a week.

  4. Jest piękny i ma wiele malowniczych miejsc. It is beautiful and has many picturesque places.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

  • Read each question carefully before the recording starts so you know what information to listen out for

  • You will hear the recording twice — use the second listening to check and complete your answers

  • Listen for key details, opinions and reasons, rather than trying to understand every single word

My town and region: speaking

  • In part 1 of the speaking exam you will take part in a role-play

  • Your teacher will play the part of a friend, and you will ask and answer questions

  • The role-play lasts 2 minutes

  • Use a verb in each answer: a verbless answer can still get the message across, but verbs earn the marks for language

  • When you see the ? symbol, you need to ask your teacher a question

Worked Example

You are speaking to a Polish student about your town and region.

You must:

  • say where you live and give your opinion about your town;

  • describe what there is to do in your town;

  • ? ask the student what they like about their town;

  • ! say what you did in your town last weekend;

  • say where you would like to live in the future and explain why.

  1. Gdzie mieszkasz? Co sądzisz o swoim mieście? Where do you live? What do you think of your town/city?

  2. Co można robić w Twoim mieście? What can you do in your town/city?

  3. A co Ty lubisz w swoim mieście? And what do you like about your town/city?

  4. Co robiłeś/robiłaś w swoim mieście w zeszły weekend? What did you do in your town/city last weekend?

  5. Gdzie chciałbyś/chciałabyś mieszkać w przyszłości? Dlaczego? Where would you like to live in the future? Why?

Answers

  1. Mieszkam w Londynie. Uważam, że to bardzo ciekawe miasto, ponieważ jest wielokulturowe i jest tu dużo atrakcji. Niestety, jest też bardzo zatłoczone. I live in London. I think it is a very interesting city because it is multicultural and there are lots of attractions. Unfortunately, it is also very crowded.

  2. Można odwiedzić muzea, pójść do kina albo zrobić zakupy. W weekend często spotykam się z przyjaciółmi w centrum. You can visit museums, go to the cinema or go shopping. At the weekend, I often meet my friends in the city centre.

  3. Odpowiedz egzaminatora: Lubię parki i spokojną atmosferę w moim mieście. Examiner's response: I like the parks and the quiet atmosphere in my town.

  4. W zeszły weekend spotkałem się z przyjaciółmi. Najpierw poszliśmy do restauracji, a potem spacerowaliśmy po centrum. Było bardzo fajnie. Last weekend, I met up with my friends. First, we went to a restaurant, and then we walked around the city centre. It was really nice.

  5. W przyszłości chciałbym mieszkać w mniejszym mieście, ponieważ byłoby tam spokojniej. Chciałbym też mieszkać blisko natury. In the future, I would like to live in a smaller town because it would be more peaceful there. I would also like to live close to nature.

  • The ? prompt always requires a question with a verb — a noun or phrase alone will not score full marks

  • The ! prompt requires you to answer an unpredictable question — listen carefully and respond spontaneously

  • Answer the exact question asked and cover all parts of the prompt

  • Pay attention to the time reference — make sure you use the correct tense

  • If the prompt asks why, always give a reason

My town and region: reading

  • In Section C of the reading exam, you need to translate sentences from Polish into English

  • These questions will help you to practise your translation skills

Foundation tier

Worked Example

Translate these sentences into English.

Mieszkam w małej wiosce na wsi. W moim mieście nie ma szpitala. Park jest bardzo znany i zawsze otwarty. W zeszłym roku pojechałem/pojechałam z rodziną nad morze. W pobliżu znajduje się zabytkowy zamek i muzeum.

Answers

I live in a small village in the countryside. There is no hospital in my town. The park is very well known and always open. Last year I went with my family to the coast. Nearby there is a historic castle and a museum.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

  • You do not need to translate word for word — make sure the overall meaning is clear

  • Focus on translating the key information in each sentence

  • If you do not know one word, use the context to help you work out its meaning

  • Try to answer every sentence — a partially correct answer can still score marks

My town and region: writing

  • In the writing exam, you will need to write in Polish and respond to the task using the information given in the bullet points

  • This task will help you to practise your skills

Higher tier

Worked Example

You are writing a text for your school blog about your town and region.

Describe

  • Jakie jest Twoje miasto i co o nim sądzisz?

  • Opisz miejsce w Twoim regionie, które ostatnio odwiedziłeś/odwiedziłaś, i napisz, co tam robiłeś/robiłaś.

  • Zalety i wady mieszkania w Twoim mieście.

  • Gdzie chciałbyś/chciałabyś mieszkać w przyszłości i dlaczego?

Write approximately 90 words in Polish.

Mieszkam w Preston, które jest dość dużym i nowoczesnym miastem. Moim zdaniem jest ono ciekawe, ponieważ znajduje się tu wiele sklepów, restauracji, parków i obiektów sportowych. Mimo że miasto jest zatłoczone, lubię tu mieszkać, gdyż zawsze jest coś ciekawego do zrobienia. W zeszłym miesiącu odwiedziłem pobliskie jezioro, gdzie spacerowałem z przyjaciółmi i zrobiłem dużo zdjęć. Zaletą mieszkania w mieście jest dobry transport publiczny, natomiast wadami są korki, hałas i zanieczyszczenie powietrza. W przyszłości chciałbym mieszkać w małym miasteczku nad morzem. Gdybym miał taką możliwość, zdecydowanie wybrałbym życie z dala od dużego miasta.

I live in Preston, which is quite a large and modern town. In my opinion, it is interesting because there are many shops, restaurants, parks and sports facilities. Although the town is crowded, I like living here because there is always something interesting to do. Last month, I visited a nearby lake, where I walked with my friends and took lots of photos. An advantage of living in a town is good public transport, whereas the disadvantages are traffic jams, noise and air pollution. In the future, I would like to live in a small seaside town. If I had the opportunity, I would definitely choose to live away from a big city.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

  • Use linking words and phrases such as jednak, natomiast, mimo że, dlatego że to make your writing clear and well connected

  • Check adjective endings and agreement carefully, especially for gender, number and case

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.