A five-week summer immersion trip to Canada increased this student’s English speaking confidence. She learnt a lot of new vocabulary while reading the Harry Potter series seven times. She appreciates English as a lingua franca.

During a summer camp in secondary school, this student met and talked with a lot of foreigners and learnt about different cultures. She can’t remember the name of a “thick book” suggested by her English teacher but describes the reading of which as enriching.

This Nursing major says her English had improved during a nine-day tour to Malaysia. She likes to read the English subtitles when watching movies. She reads English course material.

Rooming with a student from England during a study exchange in Korea placed this student in an English speaking environment. The Lord of the Rings is the first English book she has completed.

Watching British and American YouTubers has exposed this student to varieties of English. She has read John Green’s the Fault in Our Stars eight times and finds the story very touching.

A poetry workshop and performance broadened this student’s horizons. Her favourite book is Catcher in the Rye because it describes teenage struggles. She is also learning new vocabulary while studying Philosophy in university.

This student used English every day while studying Primary 4-6 in Singapore. He started his own skim reading scheme with a target of three to four books a month focusing mostly on politics and philosophy.

Doing research about IT and making a presentation on it in university boosted this student’s confidence. He values reading in university more as the General Education course material has been more challenging than that in secondary school.

English Day gave this Social Work major a chance to talk with a NET and some exchange students. She also enjoyed reading the books chosen by the NET in secondary school.

Primary school lessons with a NET meant this student could only use English in the class. She did some role-plays and dramas after reading a classical English book with her class in secondary school.

This student values the English experience in an EMI school. She likes translated works of the Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho.

As a Nursing major, this student is exposed to English in class and through reading course material.

Motivated to learn more English, this student downloaded material from the Internet to improve his pronunciation during the second year of university. His reading focuses on textbooks.

The Internet is a self-study resource for this Engineering major. He also reads books related to his major such as Core Java and publications by Isaac Newton and da Vinci.

Making a presentation in a summer programme in Form 3 gave this student a different learning experience. He was exposed to new ideas and vocabulary while reading a university book In Dialogue with Nature.

Attending university in Hong Kong has involved speaking and listening more in English for this student. He was required to read quickly and efficiently while taking a class on Anthropology.

Having group discussions and being critical while preparing for IELTS were new experiences for this student who felt he had been spoon-fed in secondary school. Reading Silver Linings Playbook touched his heart.

Performing in a Christmas play during secondary school boosted this student’s confidence. Reading Wuthering Heights in Form Three cultivated an interest in literature.

Debates over literature in secondary school exposed this student to her classmates’ opinions. She read A Streetcar Named Desire and says it is a reflection of past American society.

Attending university gave this student more opportunities to speak English. She loves children’s literature. Anne of Green Gables is her favourite book. She also reads research papers.

Interacting with foreigners and native speakers gave this student a chance to practise her speaking skills in secondary school. She believes writing will be important for her future career as a social worker.

Taking a course in the university language centre gave this student more speaking opportunities as she prepared for IELTS. She read some course material about Asian Christianity for a presentation.

Communicating with people, whether they are foreigners or teachers, is a way to learn English according to this student. She subscribed to a reading service called English Channel during secondary school.

Writing sentences with new vocabulary from reading a newspaper improved this student’s English. Although he doesn’t read much in English, he feels the language will be useful for workplace communication after he graduates.

Learning more than English is what attracted this student to after-school tutorials with a NET. She felt she understood the story of Twilight more after reading the English version.

English media has been the best way for this student to learn the language. She believes English is important for her future work.

This student had a hotpot-themed class that involved worksheets. She is not a keen reader.

Watching TV and seeking help from university teachers have helped this student’s spoken English. He uses websites to search for information and entertainment.

An interest in bands led this student to develop an interest in inversion. While reading 1984, she felt like she became part of the story. She also likes Cloud Atlas.

A secondary school teacher encouraged this student to let English into his heart. He liked drama and poetry. He gets immersed when reading books such as Cloud Atlas and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Smaller classes and a systematic approach to teaching grammar make English learning in university better than that in secondary school for this student. She reads course material.

A secondary school teacher helped this student win a public speaking competition. She read Harry Potter within three weeks in Form 3. That was the first time she had been reading day and night.

A university English course allowed this student to become an active participant of the class. She had a horrible experience reading Shakespeare’s sonnets and recommends Charles Dickens for children.

Being on an exchange in Germany meant this student had to rely on English. She said the trip helped improve her speaking skills. She values English for her future career as an accountant.

A secondary school teacher asked this student and her classmates to discuss the use of language in a movie they had seen. JK Rowling is her favourite author while Lord of the Rings is her favourite book.

A family trip to England gave this student a chance to communicate more with native speakers. He reads the BBC news every day and also self-enrichment books. English is also used in his university courses.

A teacher advised this student to use descriptions if she got stuck with a word. She feels English is important for the future.

Reading a passage out loud as a class during a university course helped this student improve her pronunciation. She has to read a lot of course material and uses a dictionary for new words.

This student had to work out how to get food and drink coupons during an English speaking day in junior secondary school. She read the newspaper in senior secondary.

TV programmes such as Hannah Montana and Art Attack allowed this student to learn English without pressure. She read the Harry Potter series and admired her favourite author JK Rowling’s use of the language in writing such a fascinating adventure.