A drama performance in secondary school was a way for this Accounting major to practise his communication skills. Reading the Harry Potter series sparked his interest in English.

The classroom has been the focus of this student’s English learning. She likes reading science fiction. She prefers the Harry Potter movie over the book. She also likes the use of Greek mythology in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.

Immersion in the US pushed this Medical student to learn faster. Reading papers for her studies improved her reading skills a lot.

An exchange to Sweden allowed this Accounting major to speak English more frequently. She mainly reads textbooks and prefers ones that have examples.

An exchange to the UK let this Economics major make friends and learn about the culture in different countries. She reads the online versions of the South China Morning Post or New York Times.

A learning trip to the UK allowed this Business graduate to interact with local people there. She mostly read textbooks and newspapers.

During primary school, this student realised one could learn English by communicating with others. The student also benefitted from a trip to Sweden when she was 15.

Drama introduced by a secondary school teacher was the starting point for this student’s interest in English. She likes Stephen King’s books and recommends 1986.

Performing drama in class allowed this Urban Studies major to practise his spoken English even though he made many mistakes. He read Animal Farm for the SBA.

A fun teacher made English tutorial classes more enjoyable than school for this student. He doesn’t like reading and there are few chances to read magazines and newspapers. He reads the TV subtitles.

An English teacher helped this Nursing major overcome her shyness by choosing her to make a speech in Form Four. The Five People You Meet in Heaven is the first English book she finished for her school’s reading scheme.

Acting in a role-play taught this Accounting major how to communicate in different business and social situations. As an undergraduate, she learnt more about writing when she judged submissions in a secondary school writing competition.

A New Zealand home stay in secondary school was an all English speaking experience for this Engineering major. She read Tuesdays With Morrie and says it taught her to forgive.

Primary and secondary English classes included drilling, worksheets and drama for this Maths major. He read the SCMP in secondary school. He also reads Reddit.

Creating a new ending for Dead Poets Society made this English Education major think more about the movie. He could understand very little from Possession: A Romance in a university literature course. His favourite book is 1984.

Motivated to learn more English, this student downloaded material from the Internet to improve his pronunciation during the second year of university. His reading focuses on textbooks.

A tutor helped this Engineering major with the DSE by teaching him sentence patterns and expanding his vocabulary. The lessons were boring but effective. He also recalls not being able to finish the reading component of the DSE.

A secondary school class enabled this BBA major to meet and chat with people from different countries. He watched the Harry Potter movies and read the books.

A teacher in primary school helped this Leisure and Tourism Management major with his spelling. Q & A was the first English book he finished. He picked it because there were many pictures in it.

An exchange to the Netherlands required this Business major to speak English. Reading an article for an English course enhanced her understanding of Korean culture.

An orientation activity in university let this Engineering major learn English and know more about Hong Kong. He read a book on solar cells as part of research for an academic paper.

Lessons taught by NETs in a tutorial centre were enjoyed by this Chinese Medicine major. She used The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter for a book review in a university English class.

Being in drama during secondary school exposed this Social Science major to new vocabulary and sentence structures. Performing also gave him confidence to speak in front of others. He prefers movies to books.

Debating in university gave this student an opportunity to prepare speeches and arguments. She has read Jane Eyre and Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. She finds the latter exciting.

Performing in a secondary school musical allowed this Social Work major to acquire vocabulary through lyrics and dialogue. She read The Hunger Games series and novels by Cecelia Ahern. Due to a lack of time, she mostly reads Chinese books now.

Speech events including debating in secondary school improved this Fashion major’s pronunciation and intonation for the speech part of the public exam. She read Three Cups of Tea in secondary school and watches movies with English subtitles. She also reads about fashion.

When this Creative Media major was small, he repeatedly listened to English songs. He read Marvel comics in English, which contain slang and advanced vocabulary.

The difficulty in speaking English in a summer camp motivated this Biological Science major to learn the language. She read To Kill a Mockingbird and The Catcher in the Rye for her high school literature class. Her favourite story is the Twilight series.

To attract and retain people’s attention while speaking, this Mechanical Engineering major read speeches by Barack Obama and other well-known figures. He feels this is a skill needed to be successful.

Reciting New Concept English helped this Science major’s reading and writing but not speaking. His speaking improved because of frequent contact with foreigners in Hong Kong. After reading a large number of papers, his reading speed increased.

In kindergarten, this Science major and her sibling were taught English pronunciation and spelling by their mother. She read Matilda by Roald Dahl and watched the movie adaptation as well.

Believing he had forgotten what he was going to say during a debate session, this Computer Science major impressed his lecturer by ad-libbing. He reads course material and believes English is important for his future career.

An ELT lecturer shared personal experiences with this Anthropology major’s class. Some ethnographies are written as if they were telling stories about culture and human behaviour. She once read about foot binding in the SCMP.

English books and TV shows had significantly helped this Medical student. He finished A Tale of Two Cities with the support of his teacher and classmates. He spends most of his time reading the Bible.

Camping with students from other countries was a primary school highlight for this student. She has used English while volunteering on the Mainland and in her part-time job with the MTR.

A passionate secondary school teacher worked with this Psychology major over 3 years to prepare for the DSE. She likes books by Khaled Hosseini including The Kite Runner. She reads Psychology reference books too.

Doing a class presentation helped improve this Civil Engineering major’s English through interacting with his audience. He read a book about the 1967 riots in Hong Kong for a university course.

English was used by this Science major while leading a tour of Hong Kong for exchange students in a university buddy programme. She also enjoys literary classics by writers such as Jane Austen and George R. R. Martin. Her favourite book is Pride and Prejudice.

A language centre salesman dented this highly proficient student’s English speaking confidence after performing a test in the street. She is an English Teaching major and a fan of Harry Potter.

This student’s English learning started in kindergarten. He took pronunciation class and tutorial classes in primary school. He studied in an English-medium secondary school and read Animal Farm.