Though he started learning English in kindergarten, this student’s best experience was talking to foreigners while fundraising in Tsim Sha Tsui. He has improved communication through analysing his mistakes.

This student developed a system to remember the spelling of a word through pronunciation. She watched variety shows to increase her vocabulary and sense of the language.

Starting in an EMI secondary school was difficult for this student because she felt her English was bad. She worked hard and improved a lot in one year’s time.

A communications major had to catch-up when she transitioned to Hong Kong in Primary 3. Initiating a speech club helped prepare for the DSE. She uses English when she has to and prefers to read Chinese.

Joining the English Corner in this Chinese Teaching major’s home town on the Mainland pushed her to speak more. She is exploring opportunities to mingle with foreigners to practise the language.

Analysing news in front of the class in preparation for the DSE turned this Engineering major into a bold speaker. Comparing his performance with others during presentations at university motivates him to improve. Reading academic texts filled with big words can be intimidating.

After-school tutorials, a summer language programme, and an exchange programme equipped this Business major with everyday English. She reads mostly newspapers and course materials.

When she was a child, this Translation postgraduate taught herself spoken English by imitating the characters in movies. She reads about economics, English literature as well as poems mainly for study.

Despite feeling as if she struggled with the spoken part of IELTS, this Geography major passed on the third attempt. She read the English version of The Little Prince in the hope of getting closer to the author’s thoughts.

The plot and the characters in the Twilight series was entertaining to this Physiotherapy major in Secondary 3. The books assigned by school were really thin. Reading has helped her vocabulary.

The approaches that this BBA major has taken to self-study English have prepared him for assessment. He enriched his understanding of the language and believes delving deeper into the language would help bridge cultural gaps.

Coming from a CMI school, this Language major had done extra self-practice to prepare for the DSE. She realises learning back then was particularly productive. Her reading interest ranges from fantasy novels such as Howl’s Moving Castle to romance like One Day.

Doing past papers for the DSE in her own time improved the English listening skills of this Surveying major. She read newspapers provided by her teacher and was asked to write journals weekly which enriched her vocabulary bank.

Due to the limited time in class, this Engineering major watched romance and war movies on his own to learn daily English. He read children’s literature such as Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson.

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.

Feeling inadequate in an EMI secondary school, this Biomedical Engineering major joined societies and activities to improve his English. He expands his vocabulary by reading about psychology and philosophy.

Reading Computer Engineering books is important for this student as they relate to his major. During secondary school, he pushed himself to read more and checked new words in the dictionary.

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.

Preparing for IELTS was hard for this Marketing major because she could only depend on herself. She used to read novels and magazines but now focuses on study materials.

In an exchange to the UK, this Chinese major learnt a lot of local English. She forced herself to read the South China Morning Post every day to prepare for the A-levels.

During an exchange to England, a retired professor checked this Environmental Management major’s writing every week. She reads books about self-development and writing skills. Her favourite book is Tuesdays with Morrie.

The university language centre provided this Business major the chance to practise spoken English with friends and professors. Doing summaries after reading magazines like The Economist improved her English.

Homework based on reading and commenting on newspaper articles trained this Nursing major’s self-learning skills. Understanding journals on medical issues requires researching additional information.

To prepare for the IELTS speaking test, this History major practised by herself in her room. Reading a 600-page textbook was a crazy experience.

Catching up to her secondary school classmates in English learning meant this Corporate Communications major had to memorise new vocabulary. She developed a ‘feeling’ for the language which is extremely important. She frequently uses the dictionary while doing university readings.

This History major overcome the challenges of learning at an EMI secondary school by investing more time in her studies and receiving great support from teachers. She didn’t enjoy doing book reports in secondary school because she couldn’t choose her own books.

Majoring in English made this student worry about her proficiency and try hard to improve. She read the last Harry Potter book in English. She is disappointed with her postgraduate programme in literature because it is too theoretical.

Sentence structures, clauses, and verbs became more familiar to this student after he spent the Form 5 holidays reading grammar books. He feels proud to share his knowledge.

This Arts major spent a lot of time learning grammar at a young age. University course material was a little difficult to understand at first but now she enjoys reading.

Making a video to illustrate the poem Aubade improved this Arts major’s video production and presentation skills. She read Harry Potter after not being able to discuss the story during a secondary school interview.

Entering an EMI secondary school was a nightmare for this Chinese major because she had to use the dictionary for hours. Her hard work paid off and her situation improved in the second year.

Primary and secondary education helped build this Nursing major’s foundation of English. She improved her English by self-study in university.

In junior high, this Education major read textbooks aloud and listened to the recordings to improve her speech. She also learnt New Concept English outside school.

Unhappy with her secondary school’s approach to teaching English, this Economics major learned on her own by reading South Morning China Post and BBC news and listening to the radio. She read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas for a school presentation.

Doing research on the Internet is how this Computer Science major learns English in university. His reading experience is mostly associated with exams.

After entering university, this Business major felt her level of English was not up to standard. She likes to read in a bookstore. She has read novels in the past but now prefers materials related to a future career in business.

Intensive self-study paid off for this Electrical Engineering major. He read English all day long during reading week in high school.

Reading textbooks facilitated this Electrical Engineering major’s learning in university English classes. He normally reads newspapers and magazines such as TIME.

Memorising vocabulary has been difficult for this Electrical Engineering major. She has not read much but would buy some books based on movies she had seen.

Forming a study group and discussing social issues were beneficial for the DSE speaking exam and university interview. A self-help book was the only English book this Electrical Engineering major had read in university.