Past papers were used to prepare this student for the DSE. Studying in university required her to write reports and essays. She learnt slang in informal settings.

Forming a study group and discussing social issues were beneficial for the DSE speaking exam and university interview. A self-help book was the only English book this Electrical Engineering major had read in university.

NETs in primary school designed interactive games and activities for this Business major to practise English. Articles for a law course were difficult. Reading newspapers enhanced his vocabulary.

Forming study groups enabled this Urban Studies major to learn English with his friends in secondary school. He read Percy Jackson and discussed the book with his friends.

Reading course material is a better way to learn English rather than having lectures. This Public Policy and Politics major also listened to music that his parents had gotten for him. He read Zorro and Matilda in secondary school.

English is important for a science and web technology major who enjoys playing the piano. Her secondary school English teacher used songs for writing exercises. She thinks Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is funny.

Joining debate competitions taught this Creative Media major how to be persuasive and how to communicate with his teammates. He recommends the book What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 by Tina Seelig.

Kindergarten storybooks started this Management major’s English learning. She joined speech competitions in primary school and became an English ambassador in secondary. She watched TED, VoiceTube and YouTube.

A study tour to Hawaii with lots of outdoor activities allowed this Marketing major to learn the language in a more fun and relaxing way. She goes through city maps and transportation guides at the airports when she travels. She also reads articles on Facebook.

Staying with a host family in Liverpool for two weeks in Form 5 has had a long-term effect on this Engineering major. He remembers frequently looking up words in the dictionary on his first attempt to read The Hobbit.

A secondary school teacher impressed this Business major with the way he explained a poem. He read Lord of the Flies but felt the story is weird. He also read The Kite Runner and The Catcher in the Rye for school and other books during his free time.

Listening to songs in class let this Science major learn vocabulary easily. She gets inspiration from books about famous people like Steve Jobs and Nick Vujicic.

In order to pursue a postgraduate degree, this Engineering major studied hard for the IELTS. He has been exposed to few books in English due to the reading culture in the Mainland.

A postgraduate student praises his middle school teachers and explains he continues to learn English through online open courses and Wikipedia and that all master’s classes are in English.

A tutor helped this Business major when he moved from Hong Kong to Canada in primary school. He was embarrassed by his level of reading at the time but it motivated him to improve.

Watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the cinema with a teacher and a friend enabled this Mathematics major to learn outside the classroom. Reading material in a Year 1 university course broadened her horizons.

Being a member of the English society committee in secondary school enabled this student to learn more English through activities. He doesn’t read much due to time constraints.

Preparing for IELTS was not easy for this Contemporary China Studies major. Reading for her university studies was difficult at first.

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.

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.

Preparing for IELTS improved this Business major’s English. Sometimes it is better to read the original book rather than the translated version. He read Harry Potter in English.

In a church camp, this Social Science major had daily English lessons with NETs. She read News from Nowhere recommended by her teachers because of her interest in utopia.

This student played English puzzles at home at a young age. She studied reading, writing, and aural English in senior secondary. In university she combined research skills and academic writing.

English was needed by this Engineering major when he interacted with an NBA player in a basketball coaching camp. He also likes reading about basketball, particularly Jeremy Lin.

Attending weekly lessons and advanced classes was part of this Language major’s secondary education. Travelling abroad required her to use English. She code-switched when speaking to her father.

Even though past paper drilling is dull, it’s the only way to prepare for the DSE according to this Mechanical Engineering major. What he has learnt from school helps him grasp the gist when watching TV and movies.

Group reading of the South China Morning Post and Young Post along with subsequent teacher-led discussions in secondary school contributed to this Nurse’s vocabulary and grammar. These days she reads online news and uses English in the workplace.

A NET talking about life made this Business major enjoy lessons. She reads Wikipedia and journals. She watched Kingsman: The Secret Service which let her learn the accent.

Doing research about IT and making a presentation on it in university boosted this student’s confidence. He values reading in university more as the General Education course material has been more challenging than that in secondary school.

International summer school in the UK allowed this Management major to interact with fellow students. She had to answer some questions after reading a short weekly article related to her daily life.

Lecturers and students in university motivated this Mechanical Engineering major to improve her English. Reading materials for a Law course was hard to understand.

Clear instructions by a university English lecturer helped all the students in this Surveying major’s class get good results. She did a book report on The Help after reading it and watching the movie.

A trip to the US included an English lesson in New York for this Chinese major. After watching the movie The Hunger Games, she really wanted to read the book.

Talking with foreign friends and participating in a UK study trip helped improve this Engineering student’s English. He believes speech proficiency is more important than reading.

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.

Communicating with people of different nationalities and tertiary educational background has kept this student’s focus on English. She is comfortable reading journal articles related to her major.

This Education major participated in a choral speaking competition, and enjoyed learning poems and working with her classmates. She likes reading newspapers more than books.

Watching TED inspired this Social Work major. She reads a lot in English for her studies. She tried to read Michael J. Sandel’s What Money Can’t Buy after she came across a video of the author on the Internet.

A study tour to Vancouver during Secondary Three provided this Public Policy major with a comprehensive learning environment. It is frustrating to read university course materials because she doesn’t understand some of the terminology.

This Science major reads English aloud every morning to improve pronunciation. In secondary school, she read poems and fiction. The most interesting book for her is Remember Me?