A miscommunication with a customs officer in Australia created embarrassing moments for this Math major. He had a difficult time understanding the Batman movie without subtitles during a secondary school study tour to the UK.

Presenting in English on a video for a university language course made this Urban Studies major nervous. She enjoyed the Lord of the Rings book and the movie because she could compare the text with the visuals.

Grammar used to be an obstacle for this student but she and her classmates took extra lessons to improve. Her reading skills progressed as she progressed through a detective novel and became more familiar with the vocabulary.

Attending a summer school in the UK during secondary school immersed this Nursing major in an English speaking environment. She read TIME magazine while preparing for the DSE because it broadened her knowledge of international issues.

Learning words before the alphabet in primary school made this Architecture major feel she was behind the rest of the class. All her course materials have been in English since secondary school.

Practising with teachers helped this Computer Science major change her speaking habits, especially pronunciation. She likes the humour in O. Henry’s short stories and essays.

Interacting with the family’s maid helped this Chinese Studies major learn English. She took part in a reading scheme in secondary school and had to write a brief report for each book.

Preparing to teach children English made this Business major more aware of her own learning. She likes books by Cecilia Ahern including P.S. I Love You.

A drama competition in secondary school was a welcome break from exams and textbooks for this English major. He was the scriptwriter and used a dictionary to complete the job. The local content in the SCMP is appealing.

Preparing for the GRE, this Chemistry major read books and online materials. She needs to write more papers and read more journals in order to improve her skills. She read The China Daily, The New York Times and one chapter of Harry Potter.

Despite having what he felt was a poor standard of English entering senior secondary, this Business major improved his exam scores by working with vocabulary books. He browses websites such as Amazon and Google, and uses Tudou and Google Translate.

Interacting with other gamers online has broadened this Business major’s language skills. He feels comfortable chatting online because he can speak without focusing on grammar. He reads The Economist weekly but may miss the meaning of sentences even with a dictionary.

Acting as a translator for an American teacher while shopping in Hangzhou raised this Sociology major’s confidence. She translated a Chinese manuscript to English for a friend.

Winning a primary school English writing competition ignited this Medical student’s love for reading and writing. She posts her own fan fiction online and hopes to write a novel. Those who wish to pursue writing should read widely.

Getting a good grade for writing and producing a video for an English language course in university is a highlight for this Computer Engineering major. He uses Google and Wikipedia to search for definitions. He watches YouTube videos with English subtitles and reads reference books.

Preparing for the TOEFL test involved watching films, listening to the radio and talking. This Business major read the Harry Potter series and notes the talent, honesty, loyalty, kindness and happiness of the writing.

Being proficient in English was important for this student as she prepared for the GMAT. She felt there was more pressure than the normal English lesson. Reading Little Women was a relaxing alternative to textbooks.

It took this student courage to converse with native speakers but it is a rewarding experience because she learned about other cultures. She likes fashion magazines because the vocabulary is easier to comprehend.

Overcoming a fear to speak with others is this Computer Engineering major’s biggest obstacle with English. He didn’t use the language a lot in secondary school so he watched YouTube videos about sports. He read materials on engineering.

Reading Computer Engineering books is important for this student as they relate to his major. During secondary school, he pushed himself to read more and checked new words in the dictionary.

The first assembly after transition to an EMI secondary school confused this Nursing major because everything was in English. She improved by reading the Bible, reciting prayers and singing hymns. She showcased her language skills in a drama in Secondary 5. She read Bridge to Terabithia.

Being an intern in an international bank tested this Finance major’s courage to use English for a presentation to senior colleagues. He enjoys learning about history which he does by reading Wikipedia.

Being an intern in Canada meant this Social Work major used only English in the workplace which was a shock considering her course in Hong Kong was in Chinese.

Despite receiving support on how to improve his English, this Computer Engineering major has negative feelings. His girlfriend encourages him to read newspapers and he asks her to help with new vocabulary.

Studying English Literature as an undergraduate developed a deeper appreciation for works in the language. This student will read a book twice to explore possible connections between different passages.

There were more chances to speak English during secondary school than university for this Finance major, especially interacting with classmates. Thinking Fast and Slow is the first English book he completed.

Taking part in an English language competition during his bachelor studies motivated this student to practise a lot and seek help from mentors and peers. He finds inspiration in song lyrics such as Katy Perry’s Fireworks.

A fabulous teacher gave this Business major a lot of advice on how to write better and improve his listening skills. She doesn’t feel as close to English in university although she has to read academic papers and journal articles.

Studying grammar made this Computer Engineering major fall asleep during English lessons. He likes watching films in English but Chinese subtitles help him to understand the dialogue. He browses Stack Overflow for programming solutions.

Learning English in Canada as part of a university activity was more enjoyable than in Hong Kong because the teachers were more encouraging. This Nursing major read Seventeen magazine and watches make-up videos on YouTube.

Rewriting the lyrics for the Alice in Wonderland musical was the culmination of a class competition that involved watching the film and reading the book. This Nursing major read magazines about the human body in secondary school and now course materials related to her major.

Committing to a weekly study session with a friend while in Form 5 enabled this Social Science major to practise English through games and reading. They read Twilight and used a dictionary to check the vocabulary.

Communicating with people of different nationalities and tertiary educational background has kept this student’s focus on English. She is comfortable reading journal articles related to her major.

Parents encouraged this student to read library books in primary school and newspapers in secondary school. He did not like newspapers because there were too many words.

Working in USA Disney put this student in touch with people from different backgrounds and was an alternative to learning English through studying. She reads English news to build her vocabulary and learn sentence structure.

Revisiting what has been taught in primary school English while at university was an interesting experience for this student. He has read the Harry Potter series, including the Order of the Phoenix more than 70 times. J.K. Rowling and Malcolm Gladwell are his favourite authors.

Taking part in a speech festival made this student feel like he was learning from the new vocabulary and poems. He cannot remember the English classics he has read. He reads journal articles in university.

Role-playing with her cousins in English exposed this student to new vocabulary when she was little. She read a children’s book by Roald Dahl in early secondary school as she felt her English level was beneath that of general native-speaking kids.

An Engineering major values the use of English in his future career. He reads a lot of course material.

A student from the Mainland who felt he had to raise his English standard in senior secondary read and communicated more with others using the language. He lists Harry Potter as one of his favourites.