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.

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.

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.