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.

During the English Week at her secondary school, this Occupational Therapy major had to approach teachers and communicate in the language to get stickers. She read Roald Dahl at school and now likes Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey.

English Week in secondary school encouraged this Occupational Therapy major to develop the habit of speaking the language. He is a slow reader but sometimes picks up a newspaper.

After moving to Hong Kong, this Biology major had difficulty learning English in primary school. She feels English is essential in life and it is important to start learning at an early stage. The plot in Twilight attracted her.

Struggling with academic writing at the undergraduate level, this Accounting major improved with an extra course. As a master’s student, she is interested in reading about the economy.

Learning to write under pressure in secondary school has paid off in the workplace as this Engineering major can respond quickly to customer emails. He likes reading detective stories.

It was the first time for this Engineering major to learn English through songs as her teacher played the music of Daniel Powter and the Backstreet Boys in secondary school. She also read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Harry Potter.

Facing tough questions in a university interview made this Management major aware of the areas she needs to work on. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is about how we can make our own success.

A primary school NET’s personality attracted this International Business major to English. She learnt from the dialogue in Twilight, the New Moon. She also watched the movie.

To attract and retain people’s attention while speaking, this Mechanical Engineering major read speeches by Barack Obama and other well-known figures. He feels this is a skill needed to be successful.

Being fluent in English and able to converse with foreigners is important to this Biotechnology major. She attended an expensive tutorial class to improve her pronunciation. She skimmed books in secondary school.

Immersed in a competitive environment, this Biotechnology major tried harder. She read literary works for school such as Bridge to Terabithia, Lord of the Flies and Taming of the Shrew. And her favourite fiction is Harry Potter.

Performing a role-play during English lessons both in secondary school and university let this Building Engineering major think about how to communicate as the character. He read a book about Michael Jordan due to his interest in basketball.

English drama lessons in secondary school taught this Environmental Science major how to deliver a message through verbal and non-verbal means. She prefers to read novels after watching their movie adaptations, such as Harry Potter and Twilight.

A Shakespearean drama troupe that visited this Biotechnology major’s secondary school during English Week taught him acting and natural speech. He did a report on Superman after watching the movie and reading the book.

To help prepare for the public examinations, this Biotechnology major’s English teacher gave him one-on-one lessons. He read books such as A Christmas Carol, The Railway Children and The Diary of a Young Girl for his literature class.

Watching movies in secondary school English lessons was a unique learning method for this Building Engineering major. She read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for a book report.

Good teachers are very important according to this Hotel Management major as they raised her interest in learning English. She would like to read novels like The Hunger Games in the future.

Daily presentations in secondary school required this Electrical Engineering to speak freely in front of her classmates on a topic of her choosing. She was exposed to new vocabulary when reading about Physics in her freshman year.

University English courses have taught this Logistics major about workplace communication and how to write a resume. He has read newspapers and now course material.

After listening to heavy metal, this Engineering major finds reading newspapers and books easier due to his expanded vocabulary. He says other students can learn from listening to music.