English was the only language allowed in a camp attended by this student while in secondary school. She says that because she attended a CMI school, she did not read many English books.

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.

English language opportunities in university are not the same as drama in school. She says she might read more in English if she sees a movie and wants to find out more in the book 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.

Reading a novel given to this student by his secondary school English teacher was challenging. He has been too busy to read books while in university. He suggests students should prepare for the DSE by reading.

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

A primary school programme let this student become friends with a Canadian child through letter writing. She has read CNN news and course material for engineering.

A student has fun memories of a drama workshop in Form Two. She doesn’t read much English but would be interested in something funny. She uses English to read course material about nursing.

An SBA book report required this student to make a class presentation. He can’t remember the name of the books he’s read but took part in other school reading workshops and sharing sessions.

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.

Writing her first academic essay in English in university was very different from do exams and exercise in school for this student. She will only read English text if she has to.

Adapting to university classes in English was very difficult for this student. Her secondary school English classes on the Mainland included small groups led by foreign teachers. Using Google Scholar, she found essays to help with academic writing.

An ambulance officer remembers exciting English language enhancement classes in university led by an American NET. He has read academic books and a ghost story in junior secondary school.

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.

Secondary school English classes included drama, dictation, reading and watching movies for this student. She prefers to read short books. English is the MOI for her university studies in fashion and textiles.

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.

Drama classes with a NET in secondary school allowed this student to improve his communication skills. He had read an abridged version of a Tale of Two Cities. As a Nursing major, he prefers to practise techniques instead of reading about them. [5CJ188]  ...

A teacher corrected this student’s pronunciation during her undergraduate studies. She also practised English by listening to the radio and accessing the BBC and CNN. She also did an Intensive Reading Course and read newspapers.

Researching a topic for a presentation in secondary school made this student question his English proficiency. His reading has centred on course material. He is finding it difficult to study in English university because he used Cantonese in secondary school.

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.

Preparing for a public exam in the Mainland made this student focus on a good grade and not interpersonal communication. She started to read a lot more in English in university when she was studying course textbooks. It’s easier for her to read books that have been translated into Chinese.

Mini games in university English classes are different for this student who attended a CMI secondary school. She reads a lot of reference books on topics such as contract law for her surveying studies.

A trip to England exposed this student to different speaking tones. She also found some people spoke too fast. She read English newspapers in secondary school. She prefers English language movies to books, but is interested in song lyrics.

Learning English songs in primary school and performing a drama after reading Pride and Prejudice in Secondary 3 are positive memories for this student. She says the demands of high grades through exams were frustrating. She also read Memoirs of a Geisha for school competition in Secondary 5.

A drama and musical with dancing provided this student with an English learning experience in secondary school. She likes science fiction and ET is her favourite book because it has a touching story about a family.

Secondary school teachers gave this student some topics to discuss with foreigners who he must approach in the street. Reading Rain Man made him realise you cannot judge people by their appearance.

Creating a musical in Secondary 4 required this student to perform and write lyrics. She does not read much in English but English is used in her BBA.

Watching American TV drama and movies and lessons with a good English teacher are the reasons why this student feels he has good English communication skills. Reading 1984 in preparation for an assessment started his interest in English. University English is skill-based.

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.

Sessions with a NET created a different atmosphere for this student to learn English. He also read the Young Post and the South China Morning Post. He is motivated to read what’s interesting but says it’s also important to consider other topics.

Word games in secondary school and during Associate Degree studies helped this student build her vocabulary. Also in secondary school, she read Oliver Twist and performed it as a drama.

Watching English language movies sparks this Psychology major’s interest in words. Her favourite is Harry Potter. Subject-specific textbooks have honed her understanding of vocabulary.

Reading Harry Potter and Hamlet in secondary school English literature helped this student’s analysis, writing and organisation skills. She does not like Shakespeare’s writing style so Harry Potter is her favourite.

Using English as a lingua franca during an exchange in Korea allowed this student to communicate with classmates from other countries. She did some reading to prepare for IELTS.

Preparing for a speech festival in senior secondary gave this student a chance to read a variety of scripts while receiving guidance on pronunciation. In university, he prefers to read English versions of some material as translations may be inaccurate.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Primary school teachers, including a NET, helped this Social Science major with her pronunciation. Pop music also helped. She appreciates the writing of William Shakespeare.