Reading can involve preparation for tests such as TOEFL and SAT and can be fiction like The Vampire Diaries. Dictionaries are good for developing vocabulary.

An impressive professor used songs and drama in an English class. Reading includes The Hunger Games, Reader’s Digest, and course material.

A visual arts major, who hates English, used English to communicate while holidaying in Nepal. Reading is a necessity for assignments.

Teachers helped this student with drama and reading star letters. She also read Twilight and a book by Roald Dahl. English is used as the MOI in university art classes.

Listening to the BBC and reading online and printed newspapers were part of this student’s A-level preparations. He used a dictionary to check new vocabulary.

English is important for a science and web technology major who enjoys playing the piano. Her secondary school English teacher used songs for writing exercises. She thinks Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is funny.

A student who read Harry Potter recalls how she did presentations and reviews on books and movies. She feels there’s too much writing in the DSE exam.

An interest in dance led to a study trip to Canada where English was used by this student. She also read A Christmas Carol as part of the SBA.

Watching movies, listening to music, and reading books are recommended by this student who also read the Life of Pi.

A student enjoyed writing poems and playing games in a workshop on Thanksgiving day at university organised by an international tutor. The workshop was different to secondary school because it was interactive. Although reading English books is hard, she was able to finish Matilda. [4CJ093]

Attending an EMI school allowed this student to boost his vocabulary. He feels it is better to learn some science subjects in English. He read Harry Potter because the movie was not very impressive.

A student enjoyed the TV dramas and movies shown by NETs including Sherlock. She also read the first three Harry Potter books after watching the movie. She finds the smartphone dictionary helpful.

A student who felt frustrated during an English language summer camp practised alone by talking to herself. Most of her reading was past papers for the A-level exam but she now plans to read Gone Girl.

A student communicated with Singaporeans during a senior high school travel programme. She says her teacher recommended some meaningful books to students.

IELTS preparation classes are important for this student who wants to join an exchange programme to the UK. The English reading week at her school involved sharing ideas about books with fellow students. She prefers E-books.

A Christmas-time drama allowed this student to learn without focusing on difficult grammar rules. She read more books exchanging with others after she finished them.

A postgraduate student developed her English language skills while working as a teacher in Beijing. She read magazines like TIME to prepare for IELTS.

Different modes of learning such as drama and watching films in secondary school are highlights for this student. She describes The Five People You Meet in Heaven as inspiring and educational.

A student is interested in reading Harry Potter after seeing the movie. She also watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and read the book.

Listening to songs and writing down the lyrics helped this student build her vocabulary. She also enjoys reading English language horror stories because the complex language sometimes hides the gore.

A “great” teacher left a good impression with this student. She bought Harry Potter but couldn’t finish it. She also did some reading exercises to prepare for IELTS.

A violin major overcame her fear while travelling alone to the US during junior secondary. She had to use English to survive. She prefers non-fiction books like My Happiness Project and Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.

A student says an overseas exchange programme provided a better learning environment. The South China Morning Post and TIME magazine feed his interest in politics.

An English reading workshop in university allowed this student to learn skimming and other skills while enjoying The Sign of the Four. He moved to Hong Kong after beginning his education in Canada.

A Chinese teaching major learnt English through drama during NET-led classes in secondary school. She read Harry Potter and is comfortable reading E-books, and using other online sources such as dictionaries and search engines for vocabulary building.

A two-week exchange programme provided a chance for a student to experience Aussie culture. His reading has mostly focused on preparing for IELTS to secure a place in university.

A performing arts competition helped this student in the speaking part of the DSE exam. She also took part in the daily reading scheme during secondary school. She prefers printed books but also uses an e-dictionary.

Taking part in a drama helped this student polish his speaking skills. He read Typhoon Club Magazine and English Newspapers. Now a Liberal Studies major, he says English is important for writing essays.

Teachers helped this student and her classmates write a drama script which they also performed. She read books and newspapers during a scheduled time during secondary school.

A working holiday in a relatives’ Chinese restaurant in Nottingham exposed this student to regional accents in the UK. She also learns unique vocabulary while playing rugby. She likes to watch a movie before reading a book.

A mother enrolled an English Teaching major in tutorial classes during primary school. She later studied in Singapore for one year. She has read Frankenstein and the Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.

A Mainland student uses mostly English in Hong Kong. She recalls a three week study trip to England during high school. She bought the book High School Musical after watching the movie.

Trips to Singapore and Australia raised a student’s awareness of accent. She has also read The Trumpet of the Swan, Reader’s Digest, and National Geographic. As an English Teaching major, she feels learning should relate to students.

A student enjoyed performing a drama and sharing with classmates in secondary school and university. He enjoys reading Shakespeare and Joyce Warren. Although he is an English Teaching major, he is also interested in art.

Being in a musical helped this student in the speaking component of the DSE exam. A NET provided a guided reading experience with Matilda which included showing the film.

A student from a CMI school appreciates the support from his teacher as he was afraid of facing the DSE exam. He has read a little of Harry Potter. He uses a printed dictionary.

A student who sat the DSE exam independently because he did not achieve a high enough grade in A-level English. He read course material at university and the Tiger Post newspaper in secondary school.

A student brushed up on her English by watching movies and listening to songs during a gap year. She feels a CMI secondary school was more relaxing because most subjects were in her mother tongue.

Debating skills helped an English Teaching major with the spoken component of the DSE. She prefers news media such as the South China Morning Post and TIME magazine to fiction. She feels writing is more important than reading.

The comic version of Animal Farm encouraged this science and web technology major to read more English books during Form Three. Nowadays he can only recall reading some Harry Potter and prefers to watch the English news on TVB Pearl.