This Biology major improved her spoken English through one-on-one tutorials. She started reading the English version of Harry Potter when she came to Hong Kong.

Working at an amusement park in the US taught this Biology major about the American cash system, food, and everyday English. He’s now reading the English version of Harry Potter after starting with the Chinese translation.

Attending tutorials with a foreign teacher as a toddler made this Computing major nervous. He was able to overcome his fear at a later stage when he studied in an EMI school with more chances to speak English. He reads lecture notes and books about business and investment.

Interactive classes with a NET helped this Computing major’s communication skills but English subject teachers provided the knowledge to pass public exams. She plans to read 1984 as she wants to know more about politics.

Doing past papers is the best way to prepare for the public exams in Hong Kong because the assessment method is similar every year. This Computing major found the English novels in school too difficult.

NETs in the kindergarten and primary school of this Computing major used music to teach the language and encouraged her to speak more. She also likes reading English fiction such as Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter and the works of Jeffrey Archer.

This Electrical Engineering major and her high school classmates appreciated that the foreign English teachers had talked about their daily life in Europe and the US. The first English book she read was The Hunger Games and she plans to read more fiction such as The Hobbit.

A university English instructor taught this Psychology major about grammar. Her secondary school teachers only focused on exams skills. She reads books about psychology.

Studying English in university was better than secondary school for this Psychology major. Due to her interest in psychology, she enjoys reading her textbooks and course material.

English is very important for this Chinese Culture major as it plays a crucial role in her life, such as job recruitment and communicating with foreigners. She reads the China Daily and The Economist to study English.

Attending an academic conference in South Africa gave this Radiography major an opportunity to use English. He has to read a lot of manuals for his field.

There are more English speakers on campus so this Engineering major can practise using the language. He reads about fishing in English and would need to know the terms if he were to travel overseas.

Starting at an international school in Form 5 meant this Fashion Design major used English in all classes. She had to read books like Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress and The Handmaid’s Tale during secondary school and found the content to be too explicit for her age.

Switching from a local school to an international one allowed this Hotel Management major to be fully immersed in an English speaking environment. Being interested in social issues and human rights, her favourite books are A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner.

Starting off in an international school, this Fashion Marketing major faced problems when switching back to the local system as teachers preferred using Cantonese. She read works of Shakespeare for her literature class, such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Attending an EMI school was a very good environment for this Counseling major to learn English. She primarily reads books related to her major.

Primary and secondary school education was the longest period of time that this Biology major studied English. He feels university education only allows him to learn about his major. He mainly read books regarding biology.

English classes at school did not impress this Biology major because she did not get the opportunity to speak. She rarely reads English books but learns the language through YouTube and songs.

While working as an environmental protection intern in Australia, this Primary Education major used English to communicate with colleagues. She likes to read about spirituality.

A NET improved this Chinese major’s spoken English while also learning about the culture associated with the language. She is interested in 19th century English culture and read books such as Pride and Prejudice.

As the Hong Kong education system is exam-oriented, this Applied Maths major went through a lot of drilling. Past papers, memorization, and repetitive exercises made learning English made learning boring.

Playing clarinet is a way for this Applied Maths major to learn English. To better understand music, she would check the meaning of lyrics and search for the background of composers. She read The Hunger Games but didn’t find it useful.

Given topics to brainstorm rather than using textbooks during class helped her develop more ideas and build up vocabulary. This proved to be useful for the public exam. This Applied Maths major read Frankenstein for the SBA.

During secondary school, this Physiotherapy major enjoyed doing a lot of drama related activities such as script writing and performing in class. Reading Tuesdays with Morrie brought her to tears.

Practising spoken English in a workshop organised by her secondary school required this Nursing student to use the language more than ever. She enjoys utopian and dystopian fiction such as The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games.

Watching English news, reading novels, and talking with native speakers was a good way for this Nursing major to prepare for the DSE. Education reform was part of their debate from time to time. He likes reading science fiction novels.

Social interaction with foreign students on the university campus is a great opportunity for this Nursing major to speak English as such chances were hard to come by during school years. He read Tuesdays with Morrie in English after finishing the Chinese version.

A new principal proactively organised English learning activities such as debates and discussions in secondary school. This Nursing major has read The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

To improve her English, this Engineering major attended tutorial classes during secondary school. She wishes she attended them earlier and practised the more as poor results are causing problems in her academic career.

English teaching in Hong Kong is assessment-oriented with the focus on textbooks and exam skills rather than activities according to this Social Work major. She read The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Oliver Twist for the SBA.

English teaching in secondary school was only for helping this Social Work major handle examinations. She lost interest in the language because teachers gave exercises with this short-term goal in mind.

Doing past papers took up most of this Mechanical Engineering student’s time in secondary school and she is not particularly fond of English. She found The Five People You Meet in Heaven too difficult and boring.

The difference between the English standards and teaching practices of Hong Kong and the Mainland surprised this Hospitality major. She focused on reading academic texts in secondary school.

Being able to talk and interact with NETs in class motivated this Optometry major to learn English. He found Lord of the Flies inspiring and also reads sports news on the Internet.

Other than doing many exercises when preparing for the Gaokao, this Accounting and Finance major also did the TOEFL listening test to improve her English. She enjoys readings books by O. Henry and Agatha Christie.

Attending an international high school allowed this Hotel Management major to speak English with students from all over the world. She studied Shakespeare and has read Tuesdays with Morrie as well.

Having started learning English late, this Fashion and Textile major’s secondary school teacher gave her tutorial lessons. She read books for school assignments.

As a punishment in primary school, this Biology major had after-class lessons until he could pass an English test. He also had to repeatedly do dictations until he passed. The school reading scheme aims to motivate students but he preferred to do other things.

When the teacher played English songs during class, this Civil Engineering major learnt words that wouldn’t be found in textbooks. She has read popular books such as Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter.

There were not many opportunities for this Engineering major to speak English during secondary school as teachers focused on exams. She also reads about fashion and news from social media sites.