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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Secondary school English classes were boring for this Textile and Clothing major because her teacher used notes. She reads books with instructions about sewing.

As reading is a hobby, this Sports major goes to the Book Fair looking for budget-friendly titles. He bought an English novel but mostly reads Chinese books.

Finding out about the Book Fair from his friends, this Transport Worker went to the event to browse for titles about gaming and the Japanese. Harry Potter is funny because of the power of spells.

Looking around the Book Fair, this Psychology major found two novels from her favourite author Haruki Murakami. She sometimes reads English cookbooks.

Being a regular reader, this Clerk attended the Book Fair to get the signature of her favourite writer. She enjoys reading horror novels and the works of J.K. Rowling and Stephen King.