A lot of exercises, including speech practice helped this student overcome her fears and pass the DSE. She bought the book Warm Bodies after seeing the film version. She prefers to use a printed dictionary.

Drama classes in this student’s secondary school involved improvisation. He says it helped improve communication for daily life. He will read something related to his hobbies.

University provides this student with more English training opportunities because the language is used by most professors. Most of the course material is in English and he checks new vocabulary with a dictionary.

Learning English from TV dramas is more interesting than reading for this student because the language can be used in everyday life. She has read The Five People you meet in Heaven and enjoys mysteries like Sherlock.

University English enhancement classes gave this student more confidence to speak with passion. She likes Philosophy and read Free Will. She has used E-books but prefers printed ones.

Motivated to get a good result in the DSE, this student enrolled in private tutorial classes. He has read a book about travelling to Japan and also a magazine called Guitar World because he is interested in playing the instrument.

Rewriting English newspaper articles helped this student improve her grammar and vocabulary in secondary school. She read a few pages of Harry Potter but found she spent a lot of time checking new words in the dictionary.

Communicating in English in university is more interesting than secondary school as this student can take part in activities with people from different countries. She read part of Tuesdays with Morrie. Her course material is in English.

Preparing for IELTS exposed this Malaysian Civil Engineering major to academic writing and argumentative essays. He has read many news magazines and the dictionary. He says he uses English more in Hong Kong but the standard is not as high as Malaysia.

University tested this graduate’s English proficiency because it was the medium for instruction and homework. He reads about soccer on the Internet and read a book about North Korea.

A secondary school exchange in Canada placed this student in an all English speaking environment. He developed new vocabulary while reading academic journals in university.

Early spelling lessons with her father established a good system for dictation for this student. She read children’s novels when she was young and now watches TV drama to polish her English.

Coming from an all English IB secondary school, this student had difficulty adjusting to the use of Cantonese at university even though she used it at home. She has developed a liking for classical literature such as Plato but couldn’t get the hang of Othello.

This Visual Arts major received dialogue coaching from teachers while she prepared for a drama competition in Form Four. She prefers to read Chinese books but read English fiction and non-fiction for the SBA.

English was used by this Social Science major when she attended a Girl Guides event in Norway. She read Billy Elliot in secondary school and is now enjoying a self-help book called the Power of Slow.

A Social Science major recalls the fear of chatting with an American NET for the first time. She uses English when travelling and studying. She reads journals.

Interviewing tourists helped this Social Science major improve his conversation skills. He reads about football on the Internet and uses a dictionary when he comes across new words.

Listening to songs, watching movies and making sentences was how this student’s English learning developed in primary school. She read a book about North Korea titled Nothing to Envy which she found in the library.

Remembering names of NETs was a big challenge for this Korean student who transitioned to an EMI school. A friend’s mum and a private tutor helped to improve her English. She picked up Harry Potter because of her sister. She is now into non-fiction such as How Google Works and What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School.

This student finds high school English literature class difficult. Her favourite children’s books were from Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl. Now she enjoys reading about economics and finance.

Watching children’s TV programmes was a more effective way to learn English than attending extra-curricular tutorials for this Business major. She has enjoyed reading children’s literature and adult fiction.

English has been important for this Engineering major since an early age as it was the language for communicating with her family’s domestic helper. She likes books by Mitch Albom.

Primary school activities in an international school gave this Occupational Therapy major opportunities to communicate with native English speakers. He likes the Alex Rider adventure stories.

Being an English ambassador and having a good teacher made secondary interesting for this Hotel Management major. She skim read Tuesdays with Morrie for a book report.

A New Zealand home stay in secondary school was an all English speaking experience for this Engineering major. She read Tuesdays With Morrie and says it taught her to forgive.

PhD studies involve writing, reading and presenting in English for this Engineering major. It’s important to have good speaking skills to communicate with scholars from other countries. He reads about psychology as he finds it interesting.

Studying in foreign countries has helped this Hotel Management major’s English learning. She also developed a daily reading habit after taking part in a compulsory university programme.

Primary school drama performances were better than focusing on reading and writing in higher learning for this Radiography major. Watching an online video sparked an interest in reading about Philosophy.

Speech events including debating in secondary school improved this Fashion major’s pronunciation and intonation for the speech part of the public exam. She read Three Cups of Tea in secondary school and watches movies with English subtitles. She also reads about fashion.

Classes in secondary school prepared this Design major for the DSE yet her knowledge of everyday English is limited. She prefers Chinese and reads only English references and online sources if needed.

Writing a revised script of Romeo and Juliet and performing it in secondary school required this Radiography major to work in a team. Reading Steve Jobs, a compulsory text in secondary school, gave him an inspirational perspective about life. He follows online news of basketball players.

Producing drama in secondary school triggered this Engineering major to research into the area. Reading the South China Morning Post informed him about the world and grammar. Playing online games with foreigners has taught him slang.

Going on an exchange programme to Canada in her childhood pushed this Chinese and Bilingual Studies major to speak English. She studies the Bible and cross-reads both its English and Chinese versions.

An energetic lecturer who shouts out keywords or phrases reinforces this English major’s learning. She appreciates that her English teachers in secondary school shared insights with them. She reads about Psychology and Why Men Love Bitches has led her to think about gender differences.

The desire to find out more about the movie Twilight Saga triggered this Engineering major to start reading the novel. Reading increases her vocabulary. She realises the importance of precision in academic writing.

Most of her students neglected listening and speaking English when preparing for the Gaokao according to this Chemistry major from the Mainland China. English speaking opportunities have been limited in where she has stayed.

Taking part in English speech competitions made up for the lack of speaking opportunities in primary and secondary school for this Physiotherapy major. She has read popular fiction but is also studying the stories of the victims of war.

Revisiting the book If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules has strengthened this Accounting major’s spirit when encountering difficulties. She is appreciative of her secondary subject teacher spending half of the classes sharing with them some meaningful movies.

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.

Staying with a host family in Liverpool for two weeks in Form 5 has had a long-term effect on this Engineering major. He remembers frequently looking up words in the dictionary on his first attempt to read The Hobbit.