Speaking English with other people is a better way to improve according to this Chinese major. She had to read newspapers every morning during secondary school.

A kindergarten teacher used pictures to help this student build her vocabulary. She had a terrible reading experience and describes her skills as weak.

Watching movies and playing games in a secondary school English Language Centre allowed this Sports Management major to learn in a comfortable atmosphere. Watching movies before reading the printed books enhanced her understanding and interest.

Being a member of a speech club in secondary school helped this student improve her pronunciation. She likes the adventures in the Sherlock Holmes series.

A visual arts major, who hates English, used English to communicate while holidaying in Nepal. Reading is a necessity for assignments.

A new teacher was considered a danger to this Accounting major’s DSE aspirations because he was too relaxed. Daily reading session of the South China Morning Post improved her language skills and motivated her to read more.

An energetic lecturer who shouts out keywords or phrases reinforces this English major’s learning. She appreciates that her English teachers in secondary school shared insights with them. She reads about Psychology and Why Men Love Bitches has led her to think about gender differences.

The English learning corner in a café provided this Chemistry major a rare opportunity to chat with foreigners. She has to read a lot of technical papers related to her major.

Speaking to his Filipino mother and finding new ways to use English polished this Fashion Design major’s language skills. He also learns through music and reading lyrics.

Watching English news and doing past papers helped this Sociology major prepare for the public exam. He read autobiographies in university.

Upon her brother’s advice, this Psychology major wrote a diary to improve her English. She felt tired when forced to read newspaper articles just after lunch in secondary school.

A Chinese teaching major feels there is too much homework to allow time to enjoy language learning through games and conversation. She read National Geographic magazine.

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.

Performing in a drama about her secondary school’s 45th anniversary taught this Translation major vocabulary and grammar. She read a lot of newspapers to prepare for the DSE.

This Creative Media major who is not fond of formal education, learnt from movies and reading books. Spending her childhood in books, her all-time favourite is Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar. She also read young adult novels such as The Mortal Instruments and The Hunger Games.

This History major overcome the challenges of learning at an EMI secondary school by investing more time in her studies and receiving great support from teachers. She didn’t enjoy doing book reports in secondary school because she couldn’t choose her own books.

Entering the Hong Kong educational system in Primary 5 and learning English was a big surprise for this Surveying major. She had to do a lot of book reports in secondary school and recalls reading The Giver.

A private tutor helped this student improve and inspired him to become an English teacher. He read the works of George Orwell and Noam Chomsky as he was a student of both literature and linguistics.

Star Wars was part of this Science major’s English learning experience when he was young. He read some reference books for his studies.

Studying English with his best friend helped this Science major make rapid progress. He read Harry Potter after watching the movies. The books taught him vocabulary and grammar.

Studying in the UK at 14 years old was stressful at first because this student didn’t have the vocabulary to ask simple questions. Holes was the first children’s literature she completed.

The desire for a high IELTS score motivated this Ethics and Public Affairs major to read and listen more. His friend gave him The Little Prince as a birthday gift. He couldn’t understand Cloud Atlas.

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.

Before beginning university in Hong Kong, this Chinese Culture major studied English for the CET exam. She reads emails and websites in English.

A vocational education teacher improved this Computer Engineering major’s English by giving him private lessons on grammar and presentation. His father bought him some learning materials in CD format that helped boost his reading skills.

University classes are more interactive than secondary school for this Science major. He does not have a habit of reading.

Speech events including debating in secondary school improved this Fashion major’s pronunciation and intonation for the speech part of the public exam. She read Three Cups of Tea in secondary school and watches movies with English subtitles. She also reads about fashion.

English language courses in university for this Sports Science major involved learning job interview skills. She reads journal articles about her major.

An English language camp on Lamma Island during secondary school allowed this student to make friends with visitors from Mexico and the Mainland. He has read TIME magazine and Narnia.

A teacher in primary school used puppets to practise everyday English with this Ecology major. She gave up reading Sherlock Holmes midway since it was too difficult and this discouraged her from other fiction.

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.

Learning how to cover up the bad points in an argument made university debating classes interesting for this student. She liked how the characters interacted with each other in Harry Potter.

Cooking courses motivated this Visual Studies major to learn English. She was forced to read a book with her tutor in Form Two. She hated this because she had to check every word.

Secondary school led this student to be an emcee and take part in writing competitions. She read the newspaper to learn about social issues for the DSE.

Preparing for the DSE with classmates was like soldiers getting ready for war for this Engineering major. Reading in class allowed students to share opinions.

Talking to an exchange student in secondary school improved this Japanese Studies major’s English skills. She read Julie and Julia after watching the movie on TV. It was her first English book and encouraged her to read more.

A Biology major enjoyed watching the movie Alien during a Year 3 university English course. After completing the Chinese version of Harry Potter in junior secondary, he read the English one.

Apart from English classes at school, this Sociology major learnt from travelling. She has been to Taiwan and London. Her parents and sister have also been sources of learning.

A university language course taught this Engineering major vocabulary and presentation skills unique to his field. Reading fiction expanded his vocabulary while experiencing other people’s lives. His favourite book is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Despite being afraid of NETs in primary school, this Tourism major worked more closely with them in secondary and now feels there are no barriers to intercultural communication.