Tutorials provided primary school students opportunities to improve speaking skills. Secondary school English classes focused on formal writing styles. Now this biochemistry major writes lab reports, reads academic papers and improves vocabulary with the help of professors, dictionary, Google and Wikipedia.

English is used more often in this Engineering major’s university life as she communicates with fellow students and travels. She used the dictionary to read about Physics in English.

University English classes have given this Science major more opportunity to practise and improve. He needs to use the dictionary while reading university textbooks.

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.

A camp in secondary school organised by students from the University of Cambridge motivated this Chemistry major to learn English through drama and songs. A struggling reader at first, she managed to conquer English novels after going through the first two Harry Potter books with the help of a dictionary.

The approaches that this BBA major has taken to self-study English have prepared him for assessment. He enriched his understanding of the language and believes delving deeper into the language would help bridge cultural gaps.

Staying with a host family in Liverpool for two weeks in Form 5 has had a long-term effect on this Engineering major. He remembers frequently looking up words in the dictionary on his first attempt to read The Hobbit.

Speaking with foreigners at her workplace gave this Fashion Retailing graduate the confidence to use English and improve her language skills. She read articles and texts provided by her teachers.

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

A complaint by her supervisor motivated this Textiles major to take English writing and speaking classes. She picked up reading and started to like the language because of an encouraging secondary teacher. She enjoyed reading P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern.

An English camp led by British students from Oxford and Cambridge inspired this Nursing major. She started tutorials for the first time in order to prepare for the DSE. She read with an exchange student in Form Four. Reading in English takes longer because she needs to check the vocabulary.

Watching English news, reading novels, and talking with native speakers was a good way for this Nursing major to prepare for the DSE. Education reform was part of their debate from time to time. He likes reading science fiction novels.

Shopping for books is an activity friends can do according to this Environmental Science major. If there’s a choice, he prefers to read in Chinese because he does not like using the dictionary for English books.

This Law student keeps an open mind when book shopping. She looks for books by familiar authors. She gets the gist of a story in Chinese by scanning the page but has to use the dictionary for English publications.

Starting from kindergarten, this Creative Media major felt her parents, especially her mum, forced her to learn English. She attended a special English-speaking kindergarten and was forced to watch CNN and the BBC. Reading is difficult because she has to check words in the dictionary.

A pre-university course in London enabled this Global China Studies major to interact with classmates from different countries. She likes Twilight because the plot is romantic and uses the dictionary and Wikipedia for learning.

Watching movies and online interviews with actors helped develop the vocabulary of this Global China Studies major. She has read the required course materials, also used the dictionary and Wikipedia to help understand jargon in research papers.

Memorising ‘tons’ of vocabulary provided by tutors during secondary school was important for this student’s English writing and reading. He enjoys news articles from The Economist and TIME.

A trip to Australia in primary school included working on a social service project that involved a cultural exchange with locals. This Cultural Management major enjoyed reading with her friends in a school programme.

Getting his English pronunciation right earned this Finance major candy. He enjoys reading Sherlock Holmes even though he needs to refer to a dictionary for some unknown vocabulary.

Even though learning English may not be interesting, this Cultural Studies major appreciates the focus on preparing for exams as it provides a foundation for future learning. She likes reading Sophia Kinsella and TV dramas such as The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Writing and acting in a secondary school drama was hard for this China Studies major. She has started many books but not finished them and did book reports by skimming. She finds it difficult to grasp analects and Confucius when taught in English.

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.

Reading a passage out loud as a class during a university course helped this student improve her pronunciation. She has to read a lot of course material and uses a dictionary for new words.

A discussion after watching a movie in Secondary 1 English class helped this student better understand the scenes. He read his first English book in primary school.

Secondary school students from Australia and the US took part in an English camp with this Chinese major. She uses the Oxford Dictionary to help her get through English books.

A picture dictionary facilitated this Business major’s vocabulary learning. In secondary school, she had reading lessons every week. Her favourite book is about a scientist creating a monster.

Reading books and magazines with the dictionary expanded this Engineering major’s vocabulary. He loves reading short stories such as Eleven.

Learning in school was terrible according to this Interior Design graduate. He learnt from TV shows and newspapers.

Writing essays motivates this Social Science major to check the dictionary. He finds information in Wikipedia to complete his essays.

A patient NET made this Social Science major realise that English is not a difficult language to learn. She learns by reading websites and books with the dictionary. She read a book on philosophy.

An internship let this Social Science major chat with other people in English. She reads academic articles with the dictionary.

American TV series taught this Accounting major intonation, pronunciation, vocabulary and culture. Reading World War Z with the dictionary expanded his knowledge of biological terms.

Moving to the US at the age of 10, this Finance major relied on guessing, gestures and a dictionary to understand other people. Reading children’s books improved her vocabulary and grammar. Brave New World is eye-opening.

Watching TV programmes and movies enabled this Philosophy major to learn through listening to the actors. He enjoyed reading the newspaper articles that his teacher prepared for the class. He uses the dictionary for university readings.