A graduate explains how she overcame her fear of speaking in English during a trip to Australia. She says students should practise and not be too self-conscious.

A homestay experience in Australia inspired this student to improve her English skills. She prepared for the IELTS exam by reading newspapers and magazines such as The Economist and the China Daily.

A student had two overseas English language speaking experiences. The first time in Canada she couldn’t make friends but later in Wales she gained confidence when her new friends were more understanding.

A trip to Australia helped this student’s English language skills.

A university exchange to the UK helped this student with her conversational skills. She feels she needs to read more.

A trip to Canada raised this student’s awareness about using English to communicate. A dictionary is helpful when reading.

A Chinese major enjoyed the English learning environment in secondary school which included a trip to Taiwan. She perseveres with reading books such as a Steve Jobs biography and Twilight.

A summer camp led by native English speaking students built confidence because it focused on communication and not errors. Books such as Harry Potter and Tuesdays with Morrie are good for learners.

A student needed to answer questions about the book ET as part of an entrance test for a school in Macau. He later moved to Hong Kong and remembers English was used in an activity-filled international summer exchange programme in New Zealand.

Watching Titanic in primary school on the Mainland created an interest in the lyrics of the song, “My Heart Will Go On.” The student also watched Harry Potter and Twilight. She briefly looked at the Harry Potter book.

A Maths Teaching major from the Mainland says his secondary school was different because there were many foreign teachers. He also took part in an English summer camp in Hong Kong. He is now reading and studying in English at university.

A postgraduate psychology student enjoyed an English camp organised by American tutors on the Mainland during secondary school. Jane Eyre is a really touching book.

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

Watching movies and enjoying live Shakespeare during a trip to the UK may have helped this student but she feels there is not enough time in secondary school to learn all that is expected.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 Korean exchange student used English during a two-month stay in the Philippines. He also uses English while studying computer science in a Hong Kong university. He reads E-books because it is easy to access them.

A student who recalls learning the alphabet in kindergarten later used translation skills for a university exchange. Nowadays she likes to listen to music and watch movies and TV. She also reads the newspaper.

Despite having travelled to Oxford for a study tour, this student feels she learns more from watching movies and TV series. She read the Black Cat series in secondary school. Her favourite author is Mitch Albom but she reads the Chinese versions of his books.

The first time this student found English movies comprehensible was when he was watching and reviewing one in secondary school. He finished CSI Miami on a plane to Paris and later looked up the words on Google Translate.

A three-month exchange in Hong Kong in which English was the medium of instruction helped this Law major to improve her language ability. She needs to read law cases but has also read Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice and Steve Gerrard’s autobiography.

This student had to listen carefully in class when he first moved to Canada in Form Five. He read novels and Shakespeare in high school. He enjoyed reading about Economics in university because he was interested in the subject. He also reads TIME and The Economist.

Studying in Hong Kong has exposed this Japanese student to spoken English though she still has some communication difficulties. Her favourite book is Harry Potter.

An exchange to Liverpool made this student more aware of her vocabulary and accent. She liked how the characters communicated in Fifty Shades of Grey.

A one-month exchange in the US gave this student a rare opportunity to speak in English. She liked Tuesdays with Morrie but would have enjoyed it more if she had not been pushed to finish it quickly by her secondary school teacher.

A family trip to New Zealand as a 15 year old let this student learn more about the use of English there and the peoples’ culture. His secondary school teacher encouraged him to read Tuesdays with Morrie for a book sharing competition in which he won second runner-up.

Staying in the US for three months helped this student improve her English. She seldom reads books but prefers to talk about interesting movies.

A one-month study abroad scheme at the University of Hawaii enabled this student to communicate with people from other countries using English as a lingua franca. She read the South China Morning Post in secondary school.

A study abroad scheme in the UK gave this student a chance to communicate more, learn the culture, and improve her grammar. She read the South China Morning Post in secondary school.

An exchange trip to Australia pushed this student to use English more often while meeting people. He learnt some English while reading Twilight. He also watched the movie.

English camp provided an alternative learning environment for this student while in secondary school. He read British literature as part of a university course. His favourite author is Ismail Kadare.

During primary school, this student realised one could learn English by communicating with others. The student also benefitted from a trip to Sweden when she was 15.