Entering an EMI secondary school immersed this student in English but she does not think it’s the best way to learn subjects such as biology. She read a lot to complete assignments in secondary school but feels unfulfilled.

English was the lingua franca for this student’s university exchange to Moldova. She read about a swimmer in the 2004 Olympics because she liked him.

A university exchange trip to Australia made this student read more to strengthen her English language skills. She read The Maze Runner to familiarise herself with the story before watching the movie. She reads course material.

Watching lunch-time movies and writing a reflection was more interesting than reading books for this student in secondary school. He studied poetry during his associate degree. Inception is his favourite film.

A summer programme in England during secondary school gave this student the chance to improve by communicating with locals. He preferred reading the English version of Harry Potter. He also likes Gilgamesh. He reads more now in university.

Using English with peers from other countries in university allows this student to learn about other cultures. She felt her English improved by reading Harry Potter.

Preparing for public exams by doing past papers gave this student more pressure. She enjoyed the reading tutorials with a foreign teacher during her primary school years.

A trip to Indonesia placed this student in an English speaking environment. She has read the Elephant Man and likes Mitch Albom’s books such as Tuesdays with Morrie.

Getting good marks in a course offered by the university language centre motivated this student to improve her presentation skills. Studying in Hong Kong is different from Mainland as all her course books are in English.

Talking with foreign teachers in everyday English in secondary was interesting for this student. She felt a sense of accomplishment when she finished reading The Lord of the Rings series on a second attempt. The Little Prince is her favourite book.

Listening to pop music and using the Internet to understand new vocabulary encouraged this student to learn more English in university. Most of her course material is in English.

University gave this student the opportunity to become a word detective in a vocabulary game. She likes reading detective stories set in the US and England.

A secondary school teacher urged this student to read and share in front of the class. She also appreciated that a teacher had taken them to watch a performance with captions on an offstage screen.

A secondary school teacher guided this student and her classmates to identify the parts of speech in newspaper articles. Watching a drama performance, also in secondary school, was an enriching experience.

Believing he had forgotten what he was going to say during a debate session, this Computer Science major impressed his lecturer by ad-libbing. He reads course material and believes English is important for his future career.

A Form One teacher encouraged this student after his classmates laughed at him and helped him to overcome the fear of learning. He reads the course material for his major, Computer Science.

A discussion after watching a movie in Secondary 1 English class helped this student better understand the scenes. He read his first English book in primary school.

A primary school NET rewarded this student with gifts during phonics lessons. She read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, watched the movie, and did a project about it for a Form Two class led by another NET.

TV shows and movies have entertained this student while he learnt. He has also read some novels. He values English for his future career.

Working as a volunteer in Mainland required this student to use English as the common language to communicate with colleagues. She had a different emotional experience when she read Harry Potter in English.

A summer camp in secondary school allowed this student to play games with a NET. She likes reading novels with interesting content.

Watching Marvel movies taught this student English he couldn’t learn from a book. He read books on biology, chemistry, and physics in secondary school.

Interviewing travellers at the airport during primary school was the first time that this student had spoken to foreigners. Her secondary school teacher asked the class to rewrite the endings of the readers. She enjoys Marvel and DC comics.

As part of her volunteer work, this student taught kids to make snacks at a primary school using English. She read storybooks and did book reports in secondary school.

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 student was amazed that her team completed a debate assignment for a university language course. Transitioning to Hong Kong meant she had to read course material in English and use online resources to help search words. She says English is very important for her future career as a potential employer emphasized language ability during job interview.

This student learnt the hard way that English may not be useful in all parts of Germany. She read The Architecture of Happiness because it was mentioned in the movie, 500 Days of Summer. She prefers to read in Chinese.

An English documentary about WWII sparked this student’s interest in history. He is impressed by the journeys described in James Fergusson’s book about the Taliban. He views English as an international language and a focus for employers.

Songs and lyrics boosted this student’s motivation to learn in secondary school. She read One Thousand and One Nights.

This student enjoyed the healthy competition between his classmates and the sweets awarded in A-level tutorials. He remembers the first long article that he read for university.

A university exchange in Australia exposed this Biology major to foreign culture and everyday English with fellow students and the host family. He has studied English literature.

A university tutor motivates this Computing major to speak more English. He reads articles about technology and economics. He learns the views from different cultures by reading online columns.

To prepare for GRE and IELTS, this Chemistry major read books and tried to communicate with foreigners. She read Reader’s Digest and New Concept English.

This Religious Studies major stayed with an American family with whom he watched and discussed movies. He reads the Bible and course material.

Funny and professional teachers prepared this Chemistry major for IELTS. She downloads and reads papers in English about her major.

Watching Friends helped this Marketing major learn intonation and speaking. She reads fashion magazines like Vogue and Cosmopolitan. She also reads books about research and psychology, such as The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker.

This Nutrition major works in a company where she interacts with overseas colleagues. She learns their accents, vocabulary and pronunciation. She read Harry Potter and other books before, but now she focuses on academic material.

After struggling with English in junior secondary, this Engineering major read a lot of essays and repeatedly studied a textbook. He doesn’t read much in English nowadays.

A tutorial school provided writing and exam-oriented support for this Social Science major. He read passages in his tutorial notes but now he tries to avoid English materials.

Secondary school English classes taught this Psychology major vocabulary and writing from dramas, musicals and role-plays. Her favourite book is Tuesdays with Morrie. She also reads Karl Marx and Émile Durkheim.