Syllabaries in kindergarten marked the beginning of this student’s English learning. In primary, he used pictures to remember vocabulary and did “tons” of grammar exercises.

Two secondary school teachers inspired this student to learn English. One teacher used songs and English movies with subtitles while the other emphasised a lifelong need for the language.

The ABC song and writing after-school form this student’s earliest memories of learning English. The student started learning grammar in Primary 3 and could write sentences by Primary 6.

Reading and listening to songs have been used by this student to improve her level of English. She moved to Hong Kong from the Mainland for secondary school and found it “totally different.”

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.

Learning English has been part of this student’s life since kindergarten. She learnt difficult sentence patterns and how to write a composition during junior secondary while she watched movies and read poems and lessons with NETs in senior secondary.

Primary school was the most important period of English learning for this student. She consolidated her knowledge in secondary school and uses English for gaining other knowledge during university.

Exposure to English was limited during this student’s kindergarten and primary years. It changed when she studied in an EMI secondary school which had extra-curricular English activities.

This student developed a system to remember the spelling of a word through pronunciation. She watched variety shows to increase her vocabulary and sense of the language.

Kindergarten was probably the starting point of this student’s English learning. This student attended tutorial classes in secondary and loves reading English books or watching movies in her spare time.

Learning English through paper work is more practical for this student but she feels real life experiences are better. She worked on past papers to prepare for public exams.

In primary school, this student received good marks for pronunciation by associating the sounds with Chinese words. This student’s English improved in Form Four by reading the South Morning China Post and listening to Radio Television Hong Kong.

Despite learning English for many years, this student does not feel her language skills are very good. She feels that because she lives in Hong Kong, there are few chances to speak English outside of school.

A good primary school teacher motivated this student who did well in dictation. She realised the advantages of being proficient in English and read books to increase her knowledge and ability with the language.

Primary school English included dictation and poems for this student. This student attended after-school tutorials in secondary school. In university, students are expected to have a level of proficiency to communicate withy others.

English is a global language but this student notes that it is not easy to learn.

Learning English in secondary focused on reading the South China Morning Post everyday and some English books. English days included games and watching some shows.

Being told English is beautiful by a Secondary 1 teacher sparked this student’s interest in the language. By studying literature and developing her interests and abilities, she realised the power of words.

This student has a philosophical view of how he learnt English.

Practising English has been limited to the classroom for this student. He feels that it would be better to have more interactive opportunities that could help in the workplace rather than academia.

A teacher in kindergarten used pictures to illustrate stories for this student. Grammar exercises were dull and exam-oriented secondary education allowed limited room to explore English.

This Translation major tried hard to learn English from teachers and her sister in secondary school. She watches YouTube channels, English movies and TV dramas. She has friends form different countries.

Singing and the ABC song and reading story books marked the beginning of this student’s English learning. He learnt grammar primary school, focused on exams in secondary and started to appreciate the language in university.

English is more than learning vocabulary and doing tests for this student. You need to interact with others to have “practical experience.” Her English improved after working in a tutorial centre.

Having extra classes at the weekend in Secondary 3 helped this student improve a lot. Classes led by a foreign teacher were confusing as it didn’t meet the students’ learning needs.

Having a weekly private tutorial in primary school is when this student started learning English. Although she doesn’t study English as a subject anymore, she still needs to use the language daily.

Textbooks such as Look, Listen and Learn, Cambridge English and Go For It have helped this English major’s learning. Learning in high school was mostly for the university entrance exam.

This student realised the importance of English when she was a teenager. She enjoys watching reality shows and documentaries because they demonstrate how people use English.

This English major feels it’s important to master the language. She no longer sees English as a tool.

Learning phonics in tutorial classes during primary school was useful for this student. The interest in English decreased in secondary school as the student was forced to learn for public exams.

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.

Starting in an EMI secondary school was difficult for this student because she felt her English was bad. She worked hard and improved a lot in one year’s time.

Joining a workshop held by a secondary school teacher required this Arts major to speak English. She built a reading habit after her mother encouraged her to join a library programme.

Attending tutorial classes were painful but helped this Arts major gain exponential growth. By changing the language settings on computers and immersing in the English media, he created a joyous environment in which to learn. He read the Harry Potter book.

Sentence structures, clauses, and verbs became more familiar to this student after he spent the Form 5 holidays reading grammar books. He feels proud to share his knowledge.

Learning with classmates in middle school helped build this student’s fundamentals of English. He started to enjoy reading autobiographies after entering university.

This Arts major spent a lot of time learning grammar at a young age. University course material was a little difficult to understand at first but now she enjoys reading.

Joining a summer school in Form One put this Arts major in touch with the New Zealand accent. When she was a kid, she read fairy tales with her mother. It opened the door to the world of English.

Learning through games and communication in tutorial classes sparked this Arts major’s interest in English. She celebrated a new year by reading till six in the morning.

Listening to the Bee Gees and rewriting their song lyrics in primary school encouraged this Arts major to learn new words. She identified with the author when reading Chinese Cinderella.