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.

Watching movies and TV is a convenient way for this student to learn English. He thinks it is more efficient than reading. He uses English in university where he studies mechanical engineering.

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.

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.

Years after first reading Animal Farm and the poem, Solitude, this Accounting major is able to see how the authors’ use of metaphor applies to life. She hopes to resume reading fiction after she graduates.

This student finds high school English literature class difficult. Her favourite children’s books were from Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl. Now she enjoys reading about economics and finance.

Despite feeling her English was not up to standard, this Fashion major became a language ambassador in Form Four. She uses English when she has to and prefers to read Chinese.

Classes in secondary school prepared this Design major for the DSE yet her knowledge of everyday English is limited. She prefers Chinese and reads only English references and online sources if needed.

Independent learning and logical thinking skills are key to excelling in IELTS according to this Social Policy major. As a postgraduate student in Hong Kong, she has used English more. She reads course material for writing papers.

Academic labelling in schools triggered frustration in this Fashion Design major who needed help with spelling and writing. She believes she could have performed better if the subjects were taught in Chinese.

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.

This Engineering major made friends in England who did not make fun of his accent and taught him as well. He read Romeo and Juliet at school.

Attending an international camp aimed at improving the language was not useful for this Engineering major. He seldom reads English books.

Practice is the best teacher according to this Biomedical Engineering major. Presentations and talking to foreign classmates improves his fluency. He likes science fiction and wants to read novels by Isaac Asimov in the future.

Fundamental language classes given by her teachers improved this Chinese Language major’s English when she first came to Hong Kong. She does not read in English often but would like to do so in the future.

Accepting feedback from others helped this Fashion & Textile graduate improve her English pronunciation. She prefers reading on the Internet. The Man in the Iron Mask is the only English novel she has read. She likes to listen to music and studies the lyrics and recommends others to do the same.

As the Hong Kong education system is exam-oriented, this Applied Maths major went through a lot of drilling. Past papers, memorization, and repetitive exercises made learning English made learning boring.

English teaching in secondary school was only for helping this Social Work major handle examinations. She lost interest in the language because teachers gave exercises with this short-term goal in mind.

The difference between the English standards and teaching practices of Hong Kong and the Mainland surprised this Hospitality major. She focused on reading academic texts in secondary school.

Tutors at a primary school camp used games to encourage this Environmental Policy major to speak English. He credits his secondary school English teacher for making him fall in love with the language. Reading journal articles is difficult.

Socialising with overseas students at university has developed this Electronics major’s English speaking skills. He likes reading books about politics and keeps a record of new vocabulary. He read How China’s Leaders Think and Deception Point.

Interacting with foreign students in university required this Physics major to use English differently to the way that he was taught in secondary school. When speaking in English you need to organise your thoughts quickly and remember the grammar is different to Cantonese.

English tutorial classes taught this Chinese Medicine major communications skills. She valued the lessons because she mostly used Cantonese. She has read TIME magazine and thinks the articles are informative.

Chatting with international students at university has helped this Information Engineering major develop English conversation skills. He uses a dictionary when reading the newspaper. He warns that Google Translate is limited.

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.

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.

Watching movies like Whiplash and listening to songs by Alanis Morissette helped this Nutritional Science major to build her vocabulary in secondary school. She finds English easy to learn but difficult to master. She uses Wikipedia and the dictionary.

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.

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.

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.

Role-playing movie characters in class was one of the few chances this Software Engineering major had to practise English while studying on the Mainland. She also read newspapers, magazines and course material to prepare for TOEFL.

Websites such as Stack Overflow, Wikipedia and the W3School allow this Computer Engineering major to read and share ideas about programming. He learnt conversational English by watching movies like Momento in secondary school.

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.

Buying English storybooks such as Dora is the focus of this mother’s visit to the Book Fair. She would buy books about how to care for children if she had more time.

A friend asked this woman to accompany her to the Book Fair where she could also meet her favourite Chinese author. She has read Harry Potter and Percy Jackson but prefers Chinese books.

The Book Fair is an opportunity for this woman to search for bargains. She likes the Shopaholic series and also romantic novels. She doesn’t like sci-fi because it makes her nervous.

The timing of the Book Fair suits this woman as it is near the summer holidays. She looks for books on beauty and those linked to movies. She has read Gone Girl, The Fault in Our Stars and Game of Thrones.

A Book Fair vendor says he likes sci-fi and will read non-stop until he finishes a book. He says sci-fi is less about learning and more about excitement. He has read Star Trek and Harry Potter.

University English classes have interested this student. She has read The Kite Runner.

During a summer camp in secondary school, this student met and talked with a lot of foreigners and learnt about different cultures. She can’t remember the name of a “thick book” suggested by her English teacher but describes the reading of which as enriching.