The experience of teaching Mainland students English changed this undergraduate’s perception of their ability. Reading Sherlock Holmes in Form One entertained him and motivated him to learn.

Learning the pronunciation of A to Z in secondary school was not expected by this Medical student. Sophie Kinsella’s books make her cry. The first book she read from the author is Can You Keep a Secret?

Transitioning from a CMI primary school to an EMI secondary was difficult for this Chemistry major. She attended a compulsory reading period in secondary school. Harry Potter books are more descriptive than movies.

This student had a hotpot-themed class that involved worksheets. She is not a keen reader.

Scaffolding sparked this English major’s interest in learning the language. She realises following current news in English gives her an advantage. She was enlightened by the German kindergarten education while reading about the subject.

Reading books is the preferred way to learn the language for this Engineering major. He usually picks titles related to psychology and self-help such as The Introvert Entrepreneur by Beth Buelow.

A NET required this Human Resources major to order food in English but she didn’t because it was embarrassing. Readings from a history course were difficult.

This China Studies major finds talking to NETs memorable. He reads news articles about sport games online. For his studies, he reads articles on philosophy and sociology.

This Chemistry major learnt different tones and intonation while playing the main character in a drama competition. She read passages written by an NET in the reading session.

Studying in the UK and taking IB significantly improved this Psychology major‘s English. Reading Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm made her want to study Psychology.

Watching videos and reading online about gaming beefed up this Business major’s speaking skills. He read Cloud Atlas after watching the movie.

Rewriting the end of a TV drama in a tutorial class helped this Business major’s composition skills. She likes reading novels and found the Twilight series fascinating.

Gaining admission into a US masters programme required this Biology major to take the GRE which involved learning a lot of vocabulary. Her first English book is Twilight. She likes the description of the characters.

University gave this student the opportunity to use English while doing group work with exchange students. He also used the language to communicate with an American family during a cruise to Thailand. He reads The New York Times.

Having discussions and presentations in English lessons provided more chances for this Engineering major to speak English. She did an SBA presentation based on The Confession.

Essay writing and sentence structure were taught in secondary school. This student knew how to differentiate the types of writing in senior secondary and university.

Watching movies in class was an alternative to traditional teaching in secondary school for this Psychology major. Reading academic articles in university was refreshing. She sometimes reads news and TIME.

A NET from Canada used movies and videos in this ECE major’s English classes. She prefers cartoons and movies to reading. She wants to visit a country where she can feel immersed in the use of English

Performing the story of Cinderella in class improved this Accounting major’s spoken English. He found the words in the DSE reading paper to be difficult.

A university English teacher required this Social Work major to watch a TED talk and write a reflection, which trained her listening and writing skills.

Studying in an international school allowed this Psychology major to speak English every day. However, she feels her standard is declining because she uses the language less in university.

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.

An internship in Australia taught this Chemistry major the use of English in the workplace and while socialising. She didn’t enjoy the compulsory reading in secondary school but eventually found them to be useful.

Visiting a museum in the UK taught this Translation major the history of Britain and also allowed her to view some artefacts. Jane Eyre was the first English novel she read.

Learning English in Canada for one year was enjoyed by this Ethics and Public Affairs major. She did a lot of practice for the reading exam in the Gaokao.

DSE revision helped this student’s spoken English. He read for the SBA part of the DSE but forgets the name of the book. He also likes science fiction.

English Week in secondary school encouraged this Occupational Therapy major to develop the habit of speaking the language. He is a slow reader but sometimes picks up a newspaper.

Mini games in university English classes are different for this student who attended a CMI secondary school. She reads a lot of reference books on topics such as contract law for her surveying studies.

Studying in the UK immersed this Psychology major into an English speaking environment. She learnt slang and everyday English in conversation. Reading something that she likes other than textbooks can improve her reading skills.

Going on an exchange to Edinburgh for half a year required this Business major to use the language for daily communication. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom was the first English book he completed.

The BBC website and movies like X-Men supplemented learning through textbooks for this Science major. Reading English books is difficult because there are many words he doesn’t understand. He practises spoken English for job interviews.

Nerves got the better of this Accounting major when she was the first speaker for a school debate. Her mum bought a Mitch Albom book for her in primary school but it was years later that she could finally understand the story.

Attending tutorial classes in primary school boosted this Engineering major’s vocabulary and improved his basic grammar. He read Cambridge storybooks to prepare for a speaking test.

A NET encouraged this student and her classmates to read and share, which led to effective communication. She reads National Geographic because she likes geography.

Filling in missing song lyrics in secondary school was new to this Biomedical Engineering major. By reading Obama’s speech, she learnt different sentence patterns and vocabulary.

A trip to the US let this Hotel Management major to speak English with others. She started reading the South China Morning Post in Form Four as she wanted to improve her language skills.

Despite having little interest in English, this Science major listened to her teachers and did her homework to get through the DSE. She finds it difficult to read English.

Watching the TV show Monk in secondary school exposed this student to everyday English. Her English classes also had a reading time. Dan Brown is her favourite author.

In an exchange to the US, this English major used her phone to check difficult words while talking to her American friend. Novels are easier to read than news articles. She likes the religious theme in Life of Pi.

During a study trip to Canada this Arts major used English to chat with students from Brazil and Japan. She read comics with friends in secondary school. She wants to improve her English proficiency in order to study translation.