Watching the movie Jumanji made secondary school class fun compared to the homework involving reading articles. This Translation major read The Phantom of the Opera and then watched the movie and the play.

An American primary school teacher developed this Electronic Engineering major’s interest in learning with audio and visual tools. It made him realise that English is for communication rather than academic purposes. He was impressed by the beauty of the language after reading the Harry Potter series.

Watching movies in secondary school was an alternative to listening to teachers and doing past papers for this Bilingual Studies major. She loves reading fantasy novels such as Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Pursuing a good result in the public exams motivated this Nursing student to study very hard during secondary school. He did past papers, read English texts and practised his spoken English with his friends.

Literature which this Tourism and Hospitality major found difficult at first, became fascinating as she developed an understanding. She valued studying the differences between the play and the movie of The History Boys because students don’t normally have the chance to do this.

Having enjoyed learning the language in secondary school, this Engineering major is disappointed that he has few chances to practise his spoken English. After working and studying, there is little time to enjoy reading.

Games led by his English teacher such as Hangman were fun and educational for this Social Policy Administration major. He feels the games helped him remember vocabulary better than dictation. Tuesdays with Morrie is very meaningful.

A fun and passionate English teacher in secondary school helped this Arts in Education major improve through unconventional methods. The illustrations in Alice in Wonderland made reading fun.

Preparing for English speech competitions was very meaningful for this Civil Engineering major. He also thinks watching movies is a good way to learn. He finds English novels difficult and boring.

Playing board games in class was boring while engaging in audiovisual activities is interesting. This Multimedia Design major likes to learn by watching movies such as High School Musical and Harry Potter.

Writing movie reflections fulfilled this Multimedia Design major’s English subject requirements while doing what he loves. He prefers reading online articles and magazines to books because they are less time-consuming.

Interviewing foreigners in Tsim Sha Tsui during a primary school excursion made this Science major think about the importance of English in communication. She likes reading books that have been made into movies such as The Fault in Our Stars.

A secondary school English teacher helped this Geomatics major to catch up by providing additional classes focusing on reading and comprehension. Her classmate also assisted in translating what the teacher was asking. She enjoyed reading Pride and Prejudice and Romeo and Juliet with her friends.

English is used when this Product Engineering major works as a part-time retail sales associate. He appreciates the experience as it is the only place he can practise his spoken English since his primary and secondary school provided few opportunities to do so.

A primary school English teacher first exposed this Nursing major to the language through storytelling. She read Harry Potter but opted for the movie version when it was released.

A teacher who showed movies raised this Accounting major’s interest in learning the language. Apart from newspapers, she rarely reads English books. Tuesdays with Morrie was one of them but she did not enjoy the text.

English was used by this Science major while leading a tour of Hong Kong for exchange students in a university buddy programme. She also enjoys literary classics by writers such as Jane Austen and George R. R. Martin. Her favourite book is Pride and Prejudice.

A teacher said that this Business major could learn a lot from movies and TV shows. She felt excited about watching Harry Potter, her first English movie in secondary school. She finds it difficult to understand books despite knowing the meaning of individual words.

Drama lessons in secondary school were helpful for this Engineering major’s public exams and spoken English. The classes also gave her confidence for public speaking. She read Tuesdays with Morrie and recommends other books by Mitch Albom.

After studying lyrics in secondary school, this Mechanical Engineering student fell in love with English songs. Her favourite bands are Westlife and My Chemical Romance. She prefers design books but has read some of Shakespeare’s works including Macbeth.

Primary and secondary English classes should be more interactive and less drilling. This Product Design major turned to YouTube and dramas to prepare for the DSE but was still unhappy with the result.

Getting a good grade on the DSE is about knowing the right formula according to this Product Design major. Apart from learning the formula from her teacher, she prepared by watching YouTube videos and listening to music at home.

Being in the drama club, this Interactive Media major had to write scripts and act in English without feeling shy. She also reads magazines such as Marie Claire due to her love for fashion.

This Business major’s dad drilled her with English exercises as he felt the schools weren’t doing enough. He also encouraged her to read. She loves romantic novels such as the works of Nicholas Sparks.

This Creative Media major who is not fond of formal education, learnt from movies and reading books. Spending her childhood in books, her all-time favourite is Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar. She also read young adult novels such as The Mortal Instruments and The Hunger Games.

While studying in the US, this Engineering major courageously asked a lecturer to speak slowly. She overcame her fear of using English by being part of the crowd in Washington DC.

English has become a second language for this Japanese major from Mainland. She uses the language every day in Hong Kong. She prefers to read Chinese novels.

An English camp led by British students from Oxford and Cambridge inspired this Nursing major. She started tutorials for the first time in order to prepare for the DSE. She read with an exchange student in Form Four. Reading in English takes longer because she needs to check the vocabulary.

Teachers in secondary school asked this Social Work major to write reflections after watching movies. Comedic movies are her favourite because they make her laugh. Watching the movie of A Christmas Carol helped her better understand the text.

Chatting with the host family after a day at school complemented this Engineering major’s English learning during an exchange to Australia in Form Three. The Golden Compass was required reading but it was made easier by watching the movie.

Hong Kong schools do not have enough time to include diverse learning activities according to this Engineering major. She played Scrabble in extra-curricular course. Reading novels by Sophie Kinsella are relaxing because they are not academic.

Attending a tutorial with small classes helped this Nursing major improve his language skills rather than examination skills. He read Lord of the Flies for a book report and found the text very meaningful.

Relatives recommended this Nursing major to attend an English learning centre during her primary school. She read Matilda for her exams and prefers books with movie adaptations.

Accepting feedback from others helped this Fashion & Textile graduate improve her English pronunciation. She prefers reading on the Internet. The Man in the Iron Mask is the only English novel she has read. She likes to listen to music and studies the lyrics and recommends others to do the same.

Starting with A, B, C, and D, this Hotel Management major began learning English in primary school when she first came to Hong Kong. She found Tuesdays with Morrie easy to read and meaningful.

Doing dictation, past papers, and grammar exercises made up most of this Property Management major’s secondary school life. He read The Witches for a book report but doesn’t want to read anymore English books.

This Chemical Technology major expressed her creativity in a drama class during secondary school. Watching The Hunger Games and Twilight motivated her to read the books.

Watching Titanic and writing a report was relaxing for this Chemical Technology major. The exercise helped improve his pronunciation. He also wrote a book report on Forrest Gump.

Thinking of the future, this Biology major’s father enrolled him in an English learning centre to ensure he could speak and communicate in the language when he ventures in the world. He mostly reads English course material.

Secondary school English classes made this Biology major wonder if the language is for communication or exams. He found classes boring and useless as they were exam-orientated.