A student prepared for the DSE by reading BBC online news in English.

A student recalls how her NET tested her speaking skills by giving her only a few minutes to prepare for a presentation. Another teacher encouraged her to read BBC English news websites.

A student learns English through news websites.

Preparing for IELTS was very tiring – working hard every day. English teachers focus on basic language skills and have little time to read more than news websites such as the BBC and The New York Times.

Listening to the BBC and reading online and printed newspapers were part of this student’s A-level preparations. He used a dictionary to check new vocabulary.

This Politics graduate credits her teacher’s feedback on writing assignments for her great improvements in secondary school. She recalls reading journal articles during her undergraduate studies. She also read the South China Morning Post and listened to BBC radio.

A love for learning English and doing exercises motivated this student to work on his grammar. He prefers to read magazines such as Forbes and BBC Magazines.

TV dramas, especially mysteries from the BBC and NBC, interest this student. He has read Harry Potter but thinks of it as entertainment rather than a learning opportunity.

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.

The Umbrella Revolution inspired this Science major to read more about politics. He had previously listened to the BBC to improve his English communication skills.

A teacher corrected this student’s pronunciation during her undergraduate studies. She also practised English by listening to the radio and accessing the BBC and CNN. She also did an Intensive Reading Course and read newspapers.

Listening to the BBC and watching a drama helped this student with the DSE. She likes the vampires in the Twilight books. She says there is more detail in text.

Studying in Dublin was like a three-month intensive English lesson for this Business major. She also taught English as a volunteer in Cambodia. She read the news and The Saga of Darren Shan.

The university environment is a better place to learn English for this Business major. He credits the reading material and interacting with others. He reads websites related to his major.

Primary school English classes were fun for this Hotel Management major because she played games and received candy. She had to read the newspaper aloud every morning during secondary school.

Requiring students to speak with teachers in English only provided a natural learning environment for this Occupational Therapy major. She also communicated with her classmates on social media using the language. She likes novels such as Gone Girl, Before I Go to Sleep, and Harry Potter.

Preparing for English speech competitions was very meaningful for this Civil Engineering major. He also thinks watching movies is a good way to learn. He finds English novels difficult and boring.

There were not many opportunities for this Engineering major to speak English during secondary school as teachers focused on exams. She also reads about fashion and news from social media sites.

Meeting lots of people in Hong Kong and speaking to them in English improved this Engineering major’s language skills. He reads finance news on the BBC website. He reads a bible given to him by a church and started Les Miserable after watching the movie.

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 university tutor used humour, short movies and western culture in English classes. This Electronics major listened to an audio version of the Fantastic Four and watched the movie.

Learning to debate during university English classes allowed this student to learn speaking and writing skills. He prefers to watch TV shows from the BBC and National Geographic instead of reading.

A family trip to England gave this student a chance to communicate more with native speakers. He reads the BBC news every day and also self-enrichment books. English is also used in his university courses.

A foreign teacher helped this student to improve his speaking skills in secondary school. He also watches programming on BBC and CNN. He read a lot while preparing for IELTS, and also during a university language course.

This Chinese major finds it interesting to talk to foreign students in her college. She reads BBC news.

The fastest way to learn English is watching movies according to this Chinese major. She likes BBC’s shows, such as Sherlock Holmes, because of the accent. She was forced to read the South China Morning Post in secondary school.

The need to pass IELTS motivated this Computer Science major to read books and news from the Internet. She reads online news such as BBC.

Being part of the Umbrella Revolution motivated this BBA major to read more from news media like the BBC and TIME. He feels he needs someone to teach him how to read efficiently.

Preparing for IELTS, this Information Systems major listened to the BBC and Voice of America. He also read Flipped after watching the movie. Nowadays he reads material about computer technology.

Listening to the BBC and VOA, along with watching videos and reading essays, were good ways for this Business major to learn English during secondary school.

Making a video for a university English course was a new experience for this Physics major. He used a BBC Smartphone app to build his vocabulary. He also reads about physics and science through the app.

Movies such as Interstellar and Harry Potter taught this Marketing major vocabulary. He reads about technology and science in BBC news.

Watching BBC News on YouTube teaches this Social Science major English. She reads the English version of Chinese classics on her tablet.

Foreign students spoke too fast for this Cultural Studies major. He read commentaries in the South China Morning Post to build his vocabulary as he was preparing to resit the DSE.

Preparing for TOEFL involved understanding a lot of subjects and handling all kinds of questions that will appear in the exam according to this Business major. As a debater in school, she read the BBC news to familiarise herself with world affairs.

Phonics taught in secondary school was not understood by this Math Education major. She listens to BBC Radio on the Internet. She read Esio Trot by Roald Dahl for a speech competition.

Reading lessons in the UK include analysing the language according to this Architect. He also learns about the culture of English by watching the BBC news and living in the environment. Although he didn’t appreciate Shakespeare in school, he decided to read it again as an adult.

A study tour to Canada enabled this Business major to communicate with native speakers and learn about the culture. Reading BBC news and the SCMP every day enhanced her reading skills.

Studying in the UK immersed this Law major in an English environment. Watching TV and listening to the news are helpful. Reading A Tale of Two Cities and 1984 gave him a sense of how English works.

A teacher used funny materials like videos in this Mathematics and Information Engineering major’s class. He seldom does English reading.