After finishing middle school, this student took tutorial classes at the British Council which boosted his confidence and communication skills.

A student says secondary school English prepared him for university. He mostly reads for his degree studies.

Coming to Hong Kong as a primary school student was the best English language learning experience. Reading includes textbooks.

A student had to catch-up when she transitioned from the Mainland to Hong Kong in Primary Four. She says her reading ability is affected by dyslexia but reads books about classical music to write an essay.

A church leader focused on communication and not grammar while teaching out of a textbook.

An accessible NET provides an opportunity for lunch-time chats. The Harry Potter movie created an interest in comics. Playing the violin involves reading English language textbooks.

A Maths Teaching major from the Mainland says his secondary school was different because there were many foreign teachers. He also took part in an English summer camp in Hong Kong. He is now reading and studying in English at university.

Secondary school drama classes exposed this student to rhyming. The classes also helped her conversation skills. She reads textbooks to prepare for IELTS.

Watching movies and American TV dramas complemented this student’s English classes. She was forced to read some novels as an undergraduate and now reads course material as a postgraduate.

As an English ambassador in secondary school, this student was involved in more activities. He read Matilda and thought it was funny.

Watching American movies in secondary school English classes allowed this student to learn slang. He does not like reading but is required to use textbooks about electronic engineering.

First-year university English classes with a NET helped this student make improvements despite the fact that she made recurring mistakes along the way. She liked reading a ghost story when she was in secondary school.

Newspapers provide a learning opportunity for this student. As a Business major, she finds some of the readings difficult. She uses a smartphone or the Internet to check new vocabulary.

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.

A speech pathology major moved to Vancouver in primary school and was introduced to a Chinese speaking friend by her teacher. These days she reads case studies related to her professional interest and remembers Shakespeare as difficult.

A teacher used activities such as classes on presentation skills to encourage this liberal studies major to communicate in English. She reads textbooks such as Global Warming as well as Harry Potter and the South China Morning Post.

A Korean student attended two tutorial classes, one with a native speaker and the other with a Korean who taught grammar. She read book passages for academic purposes.

This student’s mother enrolled her in an activity-rich tutorial programme with foreign English teachers in the Mainland. As a postgraduate student in Hong Kong, she enjoys English textbooks. She has read Harry Potter. She likes printed books.

English drama education in secondary school enabled this student to learn English by repeating a script. He also sings some songs in English because he loves the melody. He reads for academic purposes.

This student experienced role-playing exercises during English drama lessons in secondary school. He went to the library to prepare his book reports. He uses English in university and advises students to read more.

Watching movies in English were an alternative to boring textbooks in secondary school for this student. She uses English in her university course.

Talking about daily life events with friends in an English Corner was a memorable experience for this student. His reading centres on textbooks.

This student describes his English learning experience as “pretty simple”. His English reading mostly centres on textbooks. He says he has learnt English from playing computer games.

TV shows such as Heroes enabled this student to learn English. She has also read The Hunger Games and Divergent. As a Nursing major, she is able to notice a difference between reality and fiction when she compares the books to subjects such as biology and physics.

Preparing for a public exam in the Mainland made this student focus on a good grade and not interpersonal communication. She started to read a lot more in English in university when she was studying course textbooks. It’s easier for her to read books that have been translated into Chinese.

Watching English language movies sparks this Psychology major’s interest in words. Her favourite is Harry Potter. Subject-specific textbooks have honed her understanding of vocabulary.

Competing in a secondary school Speech Festival expanded this Business major’s vocabulary. He used English textbooks at school and enjoyed the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

English was the lingua franca during a trip to Mongolia for this Engineering major. Reading in English is limited to course material.

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

Receiving an extra mark for singing a song in a university English class surprised this Engineering major. He feels comfortable reading textbooks in English.

Talking with a foreign teacher in secondary school gave this Hotel Management major more confidence for the spoken part of the public exam. She prefers reading about topics related to life.

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

Participating in an outward bound programme in which most participants were foreigners immersed this Accounting major in an English speaking environment. Reading a textbook on business law boosted his confidence.

Most of her students neglected listening and speaking English when preparing for the Gaokao according to this Chemistry major from the Mainland China. English speaking opportunities have been limited in where she has stayed.

Given topics to brainstorm rather than using textbooks during class helped her develop more ideas and build up vocabulary. This proved to be useful for the public exam. This Applied Maths major read Frankenstein for the SBA.

American textbooks illustrated cultural differences in this Economics major’s primary school. She is took part in singing and speech activities in her school’s English Corner. She is a fan of American TV shows such as House of Cards. She has read Harry Potter.

Drama and games with new friends in university exposed this student to new vocabulary and culture. A textbook provided insight into how different cultures eat. He finds it difficult to listen to native speakers.

Winning a class competition for a video in secondary school created a good learning atmosphere for this Engineering major. She reads the South China Morning Post to improve her English.

A hard working secondary school teacher helped this Film major improve her English grammar for the college entrance exam. Reading The Lord of the Rings also improved her writing.

Tutors in the university English language centre helped this Information Management major proofread her papers. Some suggested she improve by watching movies and reading newspapers. She also thinks listening to songs helps.