Being forced to memorise and learn, this English major hated the language. A phonetics and pronunciation course in Form Four was the only course she enjoyed. Working as a flight attendant affected her use of English.

DSE revision helped this student’s spoken English. He read for the SBA part of the DSE but forgets the name of the book. He also likes science fiction.

Performing a drama according to a script required this student to focus on correctness. She reads the newspaper. She uses English as part-time police officer.

A primary school drama performance gave this Fashion major a chance to speak English in front of an audience. She read Oliver Twist in primary school and reads Fashion magazines.

Interviewing foreigners in Tsim Sha Tsui during a primary school excursion made this Science major think about the importance of English in communication. She likes reading books that have been made into movies such as The Fault in Our Stars.

Interacting with students from different countries during an exchange in the Netherlands let this Accounting major to learn different types of accents and cultures. He had to read a lot of course materials during the exchange.

Using the learning materials at the university’s language centre and speaking with foreigners have improved this student’s English and IELTS results. He reads the newspaper and articles to expand his vocabulary. He lacked the exposure to spoken English while attending a CMI school.

Learning to write under pressure in secondary school has paid off in the workplace as this Engineering major can respond quickly to customer emails. He likes reading detective stories.

A teacher used the alphabet and pictures to help this student build her vocabulary. She also likes reading Harry Potter.

An English only kindergarten with small classes and her first experience with drama laid the foundations for this Psychology major’s confident use of the language. She liked Twilight more than Harry Potter because it’s a love story and easy to understand.

Watching The Incredibles and engaging in a subsequent discussion about the movie helped prepare this Arts major for the SBA. A teacher brought fairy tales to life when reading aloud to her.

During his associate degree studies, this Social Science major transitioned from a Chinese learning environment to an English one. He uses the dictionary to check words in lecture notes. He is interested in reading the South China Morning Post.

Travelling to English-speaking countries is a more interesting way for this Business major to learn the language. Knowing the plot from movies provides her greater motivation to read the original books. Her favourite book is Who Moved My Cheese?

Watching TV and seeking help from university teachers have helped this student’s spoken English. He uses websites to search for information and entertainment.

Kindergarten English lessons for this Visual Studies major included singing. She started reading with graphic books and had built up the ability to read words and sentences after starting primary school.

A teacher who explained news articles word by word helped this Chinese major expand her vocabulary. She reads Eileen Chang’s English novels and their Chinese translations. The High School Musical movies made her read the novels.

Story plots and scripts are used in games by this Computer Science major. He felt like he was part of the story when he was reading Harry Potter.

Watching the Twilight movie triggered this Engineering major’s interest in reading. She surprised herself by completing the book and noticed it also improved her English. She read a number of books for high school English.

Performing a drama and communicating with other students during a trip to Singapore in Form 6 gave this student a unique opportunity. She read TIME and The Economist, and Harry Potter.

English was seldom used when studying in junior secondary. Past paper training was arranged in senior years. This Chinese major showed improvement with more frequent use of the language in university.

Teaching basic English to kindergarten students during secondary school highlighted the use of communication skills for this Property Management major. He started reading Harry Potter but didn’t finish. He believes English is important for his future career.

Interacting with native English speakers in a summer school in Vancouver was useful for this Business major. He studied Shakespeare, Murakami and Greek plays such as Oedipus for IB.

Browsing websites such as the BBC and YouTube allowed this Mathematics major to find examples that help with English learning. He used the 21st Century for newspaper clipping in secondary school.

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.

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.

The job as a programme assistant provided the environment for this Computer Science major to speak more and learn more English. He recalls a teacher who encouraged him to read as much as possible.

DSE was the common goal for this Visual Studies major and his friends. They proofread each other’s writings. He discussed aspects of Tuesdays with Morrie with his friends.

Learning in senior secondary included spoken English, slang and the language of news media. This Dental student also had opportunities to practise spoken English outside of school.

Acting and writing scripts in the drama club at school kept this Fashion and Textiles major interested in English. The drama club activities also included reading plays such as Doctor Faustus and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Tutorial classes led by a funny teacher who used word games helped this student’s writing and reading skills. He is an Economics major and has to read articles and journals which he describes as boring.

A student from a CMI school appreciates the support from his teacher as he was afraid of facing the DSE exam. He has read a little of Harry Potter. He uses a printed dictionary.

A time-limited spelling test in secondary school did not help this Nursing major remember many words. She spent a lot of time reading difficult Psychology books.

English only days in secondary school were a good learning opportunity for this student. Reading newspapers focusing on economics and finance is helpful for his major in Accounting.

Meeting a foreigner who asked for help required this Arts major to speak English. Roald Dahl is her favourite writer and she recommended his books to her students in a tutorial class.

A student who recalls learning the alphabet in kindergarten later used translation skills for a university exchange. Nowadays she likes to listen to music and watch movies and TV. She also reads the newspaper.

Being a Young Post cadet was a good way to learn how to write articles and develop a deeper understanding of English. This Arts major loves the book The Wishing Chair.

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.

Being an English ambassador gave this student more access to his school’s NET who made him more aware of the language. He says NETs focus on communication and subject teachers more on areas such as grammar. He has read TIME and Reader’s Digest.

Watching Hollywood movies makes this student want to speak like an American actor. She likes reading but will lose interest if there are too many unfamiliar words in the passage.

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.