A postgraduate student developed her English language skills while working as a teacher in Beijing. She read magazines like TIME to prepare for IELTS.

Different modes of learning such as drama and watching films in secondary school are highlights for this student. She describes The Five People You Meet in Heaven as inspiring and educational.

A student is interested in reading Harry Potter after seeing the movie. She also watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and read the book.

Listening to songs and writing down the lyrics helped this student build her vocabulary. She also enjoys reading English language horror stories because the complex language sometimes hides the gore.

A “great” teacher left a good impression with this student. She bought Harry Potter but couldn’t finish it. She also did some reading exercises to prepare for IELTS.

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 Chinese teaching major learnt English through drama during NET-led classes in secondary school. She read Harry Potter and is comfortable reading E-books, and using other online sources such as dictionaries and search engines for vocabulary building.

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 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.

Debating skills helped an English Teaching major with the spoken component of the DSE. She prefers news media such as the South China Morning Post and TIME magazine to fiction. She feels writing is more important than reading.

A private tutor chatted in English while playing games with this student. She liked reading the self-improvement book, 59 Seconds and feels that reading can be a multimedia experience.

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.

An auditor remembers doing a lot of English exercises to communicate with foreigners. He reads books on photography. It’s good to practise with foreigners.

Prompted by her friend, this student reads and watches TV dramas to improve her English. Her earliest memory is learning the alphabet in kindergarten. She read Harry Potter and Narnia.

Watching documentaries about World War Two during history class in secondary school helped this student improve his listening skills. He likes 1984 as it is the first book he read in English. He also likes Japanese comics.

Learning phonics from a NET in kindergarten was important for this student’s development. C.S. Lewis is his favourite author and he has read Narnia and Freakonomics.

Tutorial classes expanded this student’s knowledge of idioms and reading methods. He does not like reading English books but enjoyed Harry Potter.

Watching movies and TV shows such as Ironman and Supernatural has exposed this student to idioms. He likes Harry Potter because it is easy to read. Roald Dahl is his favourite author.

Interviewing foreigners gave this student a chance to practise her English. She read Howl’s Moving Castle after watching the movie. She bought the book because she likes the author.

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.

Using the learning materials at the university’s language centre and speaking with foreigners have improved this student’s English and IELTS results. He reads the newspaper and articles to expand his vocabulary. He lacked the exposure to spoken English while attending a CMI school.

Drama classes and competitions in primary and second school were good platforms for this student to practise English. She likes reading Hunger Games, and adventure books by Darren Shan and J.K. Rowling. Movies are also good for learning English.

Playing an auction-themed word game in primary school raised this student’s awareness of grammar. He likes Harry Potter and the author Roald Dahl. Watching the news in English is an effective way to learn.

A ‘cute’ university tutor enabled this student to remember grammar rules about clauses. She learnt a lot of new vocabulary while reading The Lord of the Rings. Her favourite author is Nicholas Sparks.

University tutors have motivated this student to become a more active reader and speaker. He read Harry Potter before watching the movie and noticed differences from the text. He likes science fiction but is now reading more academic essays.

A teacher made this student’s learning interesting with stories. He used to read novels at home after supper. He uses a dictionary to learn new vocabulary.

A love for learning English and doing exercises motivated this student to work on his grammar. He prefers to read magazines such as Forbes and BBC Magazines.

Attending an international school and tutorials with an American teacher made this student happy. He likes reading adventure stories.

After-school tutorials in Form Three gave this student a better understanding of grammar which helped her in the A-level exams. She likes the female protagonist in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. She has read Harry Potter and Doctor Faust.

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 secondary school teacher helped this student who wanted more exercises to improve. She also enjoyed being an emcee at school. Her dad gave her Roald Dahl’s Matilda and also likes Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She enjoyed Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie.

Interacting with foreigners, including a secondary school teacher and fellow university students, has motivated this student. His teacher used movies while his university friends taught him slang. He has read a book about North Korea and he likes books on politics and economics.

This student uses English for communication and learning in university. Rating his English as weak, he reads online newspapers to improve.

This student enjoyed an interactive drama performance with foreign actors while in secondary school. She uses the Internet to read about different attitudes to horoscope.

Watching movies motivates this student to read the book version. That’s why she read The Hunger Games and The Lord of the Rings.

English only days in secondary school were a good learning opportunity for this student. Reading newspapers focusing on economics and finance is helpful for his major in Accounting.

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.

Working in an international company caused this student to panic because he had to use English to communicate with colleagues. He read Harry Potter books given to him by his uncle and also funny websites.

TV dramas, especially mysteries from the BBC and NBC, interest this student. He has read Harry Potter but thinks of it as entertainment rather than a learning opportunity.