Theme 2: Local area, holiday and travel — Edexcel GCSE Russian
Test yourself on Theme 2: Local area, holiday and travel with PEARSON EDEXCEL GCSE practice questions.
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Theme 2: Local area, holiday and travel explained
This row requires you to write or speak at length about holidays under three headings: preferences, experiences and destinations.
Read the full explanation
Preferences means saying which kind of holiday you like or dislike and why, for example a beach holiday because you can swim, or a city break because of the museums. Experiences means describing what you did on a past holiday, using past-tense forms and time markers such as last year or two summers ago, and adding opinions and reactions. Destinations means naming and describing places, at home or abroad, with transport, accommodation and activities. A strong extended response links the three headings: state a preference, support it with a past experience, and locate that experience in a named destination.
Your focus
- Express holiday preferences with reasons in Russian.
- Describe past holiday experiences using appropriate past-tense forms and time markers.
- Name and describe holiday destinations, including transport, accommodation or activities.
Theme 2: Local area, holiday and travel exam tips
Marking Points
- States a clear holiday preference and gives a reason, using appropriate liking or disliking language.
- Describes at least one past holiday experience with correct past-tense forms and a time marker.
- Names and describes a destination, including transport, accommodation or an activity.
- Uses a range of vocabulary and structures rather than repeating one sentence pattern.
- Links preferences, experiences and destinations so the response reads as a coherent whole.
- Gives opinions and reactions, not only a list of facts, and supports them with detail.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Spend a minute planning three sections, one for preferences, one for experiences and one for destinations, and note two or three key words for each.
- 💡Include at least one past-tense sentence with a time marker and at least one opinion with a reason.
- 💡Leave time to check verb endings, gender agreement and time markers before finishing.
Common Mistakes
- Writing only about a destination and omitting preferences and experiences; correction: plan one short paragraph or section for each of the three headings before you start.
- Using the present tense throughout when describing a past holiday; correction: learn and check past-tense forms and pair them with time markers such as last year.
- Listing activities without opinions; correction: add a reaction or evaluation after each activity so the response shows personal engagement.
- Repeating the same sentence opener; correction: vary openers and connectives so the response shows range.