In senior secondary, this student formed a group with classmates and employed a foreign tutor to have lessons using Skype. He thinks reading is boring and prefers to learn English through movies.

Classes that seldom use Cantonese was one of the reasons why this student signed up for private tutorials with foreigners. She will only read an English book if there’s no Chinese version.

Movies and games during British Council tutorials made learning English fun for this student. She especially liked watching Mr Bean. She also likes listening to songs. She has read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

After doing an online quiz, this student signed up for private tutorials which were more fun than secondary school classes. Due to a poor English result in Form Three, she decided to read Dracula to improve.

Preparing for the public exams with tutorials developed this student’s writing abilities. He read A Christmas Carol for a secondary school book report.

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.

A self-assessed poor English student tried to improve in secondary school by practising with friends and attending private tutorials. She seldom reads and thinks she would open a book if it’s interesting.

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.

Attending an all English tutorial class with a foreigner allowed this student to improve with practice. He read a book for a school assignment and took part in a group discussion.

A commercial tutorial school provided an intense English language learning environment for this student who enjoyed the smaller classes and foreign teacher. He enjoyed reading Romeo and Juliet even though it was quite difficult.

English was the only language this student could use during a summer exchange in Korea. Although he prefers to read Chinese material, he feels comfortable with the English course material and instructions in university.

Although she attended tutorials to prepare for public exams, this student is not sure if it really helped. She likes the fantasy aspect of the Percy Jackson stories.

This Engineering major felt past papers instead of tutorial classes would have better prepared him for A-levels. A secondary school teacher advised him to use lyrics to improve his vocabulary. He likes Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Bruno Mars.

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.

Tutorials provided primary school students opportunities to improve speaking skills. Secondary school English classes focused on formal writing styles. Now this biochemistry major writes lab reports, reads academic papers and improves vocabulary with the help of professors, dictionary, Google and Wikipedia.

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.

A secondary school teacher provided extra-curricular support for this Business major and his friend as they prepared for the DSE. He likes reading news whether it’s online or printed.

Taking an English course provided this Financial Planner with more up-to-date information. His secondary school teacher worked hard to improve his English level.

Extra classes in a community centre resulted in a higher than expected DSE grade for this Social Work major. Reading in English is very important in her chosen field.

Extra-curricular English classes improved this Engineering major’s confidence and chances of attending a better secondary school. His teacher encouraged him to read a newspaper.

A fresh grad, who works as a flight attendant, enrolled in an English course to improve her grammar skills. Research for her final year project involved reading academic papers with complex vocabulary.

Taking a Cambridge English course exposed this Design major to a NET. He is forced to read course material in English because there are fewer Chinese texts.

An extra-curricular English class entertained this Accounting major in primary school because the teacher was funny. She read Gone with the Wind after watching the movie.

Playing, singing and watching cartoons were a fun way to learn phonics in extra-curricular classes for this Social Work major. She said people who don’t like reading much need to find a book that interests them.

Extra-curricular tutorials during primary school were more relaxing than formal lessons for this Engineering major. She’s a fan of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the Merchant of Venice.

An Accounting major values extra-curricular tutorial classes with a NET during primary school. Her teachers asked her to read newspapers and write a summary.

Heeding the advice of his primary school teacher, this Fashion major had private tutoring to improve his grammar. He read the Chinese version of Pride and Prejudice to help him with the English version.

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.

Extra-curricular English courses stimulates this Hotel Management major’s interest in the language. He finds the persuasive communication course at the university engaging. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has been one of his favourites.

Preparing for a future career propelled this Transportation System Engineering major to take an IELTS course and acquire language skills. Writing a script for a musical in school made learning English fun. . As a violinist, he reads about music to nurture his musicality.

Enthusiasm about astronomy has led this Management major to subscribe to online lectures conducted in English. She also read many relevant articles in TOEFL exam papers. Among her favourite writers are George Orwell and Stephen King.

A complaint by her supervisor motivated this Textiles major to take English writing and speaking classes. She picked up reading and started to like the language because of an encouraging secondary teacher. She enjoyed reading P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern.

Meeting a good tutorial teacher gave this Design student a chance to learn a lot about English. She read Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard.

Weekly English tutorials during the A-level exam period improved the sentence structures and accuracy of this Engineering and Management major. Reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in senior secondary was not interesting. He reads the newspaper to prepare for job interviews.

Interviewing foreigners in Tsim Sha Tsui during a primary school excursion made this Science major think about the importance of English in communication. She likes reading books that have been made into movies such as The Fault in Our Stars.

A teacher said that this Business major could learn a lot from movies and TV shows. She felt excited about watching Harry Potter, her first English movie in secondary school. She finds it difficult to understand books despite knowing the meaning of individual words.

An English camp led by British students from Oxford and Cambridge inspired this Nursing major. She started tutorials for the first time in order to prepare for the DSE. She read with an exchange student in Form Four. Reading in English takes longer because she needs to check the vocabulary.

Attending a tutorial with small classes helped this Nursing major improve his language skills rather than examination skills. He read Lord of the Flies for a book report and found the text very meaningful.

Relatives recommended this Nursing major to attend an English learning centre during her primary school. She read Matilda for her exams and prefers books with movie adaptations.

Thinking of the future, this Biology major’s father enrolled him in an English learning centre to ensure he could speak and communicate in the language when he ventures in the world. He mostly reads English course material.