Life at School/College (AQA GCSE Polish): Revision Note
Exam code: 8688
Life at school/college
This topic is about talking about your school or college experience, your subjects, and your plans for the future.
Teachers and classmates – describing your relationships with them
School facilities and rules – what you like or would like to change
Daily routine – your timetable, homework and school activities
Past experiences – what school was like in the past or something that happened at school
Future plans – what you want to do after school or college, including university, work or training
Life at school/college: vocabulary
Some useful words and phrases to talk about school rules, uniform, facilities, people at school and your daily routine are:
Muszę… – I have to…
Nie wolno… – You must not… / It is not allowed to…
Zwykle zaczynam szkołę o… – I usually start school at…
Noszę mundurek szkolny. – I wear a school uniform
Category | Polish | Part of speech | English |
|---|---|---|---|
School rules | zasada | n (f) | rule |
reguła | n (f) | rule | |
zakaz | n (m) | prohibition | |
musieć | v | must / have to | |
móc | v | can / be allowed to | |
nie wolno | phrase | you must not / it is not allowed | |
przestrzegać zasad | v phrase | to follow the rules | |
School uniform and appearance | mundurek szkolny | n (m) | school uniform |
koszula | n (f) | shirt | |
spodnie | n (pl) | trousers | |
spódnica | n (f) | skirt | |
buty | n (pl) | shoes | |
nosić | v | to wear | |
ubierać się | v | to get dressed | |
School facilities | szkoła | n (f) | school |
sala lekcyjna | n (f) | classroom | |
biblioteka | n (f) | library | |
stołówka | n (f) | canteen / cafeteria | |
sala gimnastyczna | n (f) | sports hall / gym | |
boisko | n (nt) | sports field | |
toaleta | n (f) | toilet | |
komputer | n (m) | computer | |
People at school | nauczyciel | n (m) | teacher (m) |
nauczycielka | n (f) | teacher (f) | |
uczeń | n (m) | pupil / student (m) | |
uczennica | n (f) | pupil / student (f) | |
kolega | n (m) | friend / classmate (m) | |
koleżanka | n (f) | friend / classmate (f) | |
dyrektor | n (m) | headteacher | |
dyrektorka | n (f) | headteacher | |
The school day and daily routine | zaczynać | v | to start |
kończyć | v | to finish | |
lekcja | n (f) | lesson | |
przerwa | n (f) | break | |
plan lekcji | n (m) | timetable | |
praca domowa/zadanie domowe | n (f) | homework | |
uczyć się | v | to study / learn | |
odrabiać pracę domową | v phrase | to do homework |
Higher tier
These words and phrases are particularly useful for Higher tier when talking about life at school or college
Polish | Part of speech | English | English example | Polish translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
wykształcenie | n (nt) | education | A good education is important for the future. | Dobre wykształcenie jest ważne w przyszłości. |
technikum | n (nt) | technical secondary school | My brother studies at a technical secondary school. | Mój brat uczy się w technikum. |
szkoła branżowa | n (f) | vocational school | After primary school, she decided to attend a vocational school. | Po szkole podstawowej zdecydowała się na szkołę branżową. |
studia | n (pl) | university studies | After finishing school, I would like to go to university. | Po ukończeniu szkoły chciałabym iść na studia. |
praktyki | n (pl) | work experience / placement | Next year, I will do a work placement. | W przyszłym roku będę odbywać praktyki. |
uczęszczać do szkoły | v phrase | to attend school | I attend a school close to my home. | Uczęszczam do szkoły blisko mojego domu. |
uczyć | v | to teach | My teacher teaches mathematics. | Moja nauczycielka uczy matematyki. |
ukończyć szkołę | v phrase | to finish / complete school | Next year, I will finish school. | Za rok ukończę szkołę. |
zdawać egzamin | v phrase | to take an exam | In June, I will take an important exam. | W czerwcu będę zdawać ważny egzamin. |
osiągać dobre wyniki | v phrase | to achieve good results | I try to achieve good results in my studies. | Staram się osiągać dobre wyniki w nauce. |
The school year usually begins in September and ends in June. Students have a long summer holiday during July and August
Lessons usually last 45 minutes, followed by breaks of different lengths
In many Polish schools, students are expected to change into indoor shoes (buty na zmianę)
The school timetable (plan lekcji) can change from day to day, so students may start and finish school at different times
Students often receive a school report (świadectwo) at the end of the school year, showing their grades and achievements
A red-and-white striped school report (świadectwo z czerwonym paskiem) is traditionally awarded to students who achieve particularly good results
School trips (wycieczki szkolne) are an important part of school life and can include visits to museums, historical places or outdoor activities
Students may take part in school competitions (konkursy), for example in languages, mathematics or science
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