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

A student says it was stressful studying for the DSE. Although she has to read more now, she enjoys it because it focuses on her chosen field.

Reading helped this student to improve his writing skills.

A trip to Australia helped this student’s English language skills.

Learning phonics in primary school helped this student with his reading skills.

Preparing for the DSE English exam is a part of life. Students can be encouraged to read by watching movies first, just like Gone Girl. The novel Annie John is different to other books.

A Maths Teaching major began to enjoy English after a teacher introduced videos and games. She wonders about the best language to teach maths as she learnt in English and Chinese.

A student who read Harry Potter recalls how she did presentations and reviews on books and movies. She feels there’s too much writing in the DSE exam.

A performing arts competition helped this student in the speaking part of the DSE exam. She also took part in the daily reading scheme during secondary school. She prefers printed books but also uses an e-dictionary.

Being in a musical helped this student in the speaking component of the DSE exam. A NET provided a guided reading experience with Matilda which included showing the film.

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 student who sat the DSE exam independently because he did not achieve a high enough grade in A-level English. He read course material at university and the Tiger Post newspaper in secondary school.

Debating skills helped an English Teaching major with the spoken component of the DSE. She prefers news media such as the South China Morning Post and TIME magazine to fiction. She feels writing is more important than reading.

Private tutorials in secondary school helped this student’s basic knowledge and writing speed. Revising DSE papers exposed him to tons of words.

A drama project in secondary school required this student to help write the script with classmates. He also read the South China Morning Post to prepare for the DSE exam. He found it hard at first but persevered and realised he started to learn.

Doing a poetry reading in a speech festival helped this student with the DSE speech examination. Despite this experience, she does not read much, just CNN.

A Chinese Language Teaching major enjoyed drama in junior secondary school. She read Tuesdays with Morrie because it was compulsory. She says her secondary school English teacher helped her get a good result in the DSE.

Studying English poetry helped this logistics major prepare for the DSE exams. He says like poetry, logistics uses language in a unique way.

Drama and stories made learning English fun in primary school for this ECE major. Preparing for the DSE involved learning vocabulary and doing past papers. She reads Wikipedia.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was the first book that this student finished. She also read Harry Potter. She likes printed books but uses an e-dictionary. Students studying DSE should search for more information using the Internet.

Use rhyming words to write a poem in primary school was fun for this English Teaching major. She prefers to teach primary because it is hard to motivate older students for exams. She read the newspaper to boost her vocabulary for the DSE.

A student made more friends using English while on a study tour to Singapore during primary school. She attended tutorials to prepare for the DSE exam. She wrote reports after completing books in the English reading scheme.

Despite the coaching from a good teacher, this student did not get the DSE result she wanted. She reads mostly for academic purposes. She has a part-time job where she uses English to communicate with visitors.

Reciting English vocabulary helped this student in the DSE and life in general. Reading is a hobby. He enjoys educational comics.

Drama class prompted this student to speak in English but she felt it didn’t help her in the DSE. She feels there should be make-up classes for struggling students. She has no interest in reading in English.

Attending optional university English tutorials require motivation for this student. She learnt English in kindergarten but secondary school was better because there were daily lessons. She read past papers to prepare for the DSE and looks for entertaining websites.

A teacher mixed revising past papers with movies as this student prepared for the DSE. She started reading a book but it was too thick and preferred the movie version. She will read if it’s for academic purposes.

Songs and lyrics help this student build her vocabulary. She will read a book if the movie version is interesting. DSE students should immerse themselves in English activities.

Preparing for the DSE exams by working with poems and doing the SBA was memorable for this student. Chinese books are easier to read because she is familiar with the vocabulary.

A lot of exercises, including speech practice helped this student overcome her fears and pass the DSE. She bought the book Warm Bodies after seeing the film version. She prefers to use a printed dictionary.

Motivated to get a good result in the DSE, this student enrolled in private tutorial classes. He has read a book about travelling to Japan and also a magazine called Guitar World because he is interested in playing the instrument.

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.

Reading newspapers and magazines were part of this Physics major’s DSE exam preparation. He feels English will be important in his future career.

A secondary school teacher provided extra-curricular support for this Business major and his friend as they prepared for the DSE. He likes reading news whether it’s online or printed.

Extra classes in a community centre resulted in a higher than expected DSE grade for this Social Work major. Reading in English is very important in her chosen field.

Achieving good results in IELTS is a goal for this Fashion major who wants to travel after graduation. She recalls reading English passages in the DSE exam.

Watching dramas and movies expanded this Social Work major’s everyday vocabulary but it didn’t help with the formal English requirement of the DSE. She read parts of Twilight.

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.

Practising spoken English for the DSE with highly-proficient schoolmates improved this Business major’s language skills. He enjoyed reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven for a presentation in secondary school.

Analysing news in front of the class in preparation for the DSE turned this Engineering major into a bold speaker. Comparing his performance with others during presentations at university motivates him to improve. Reading academic texts filled with big words can be intimidating.