A graduate explains how she overcame her fear of speaking in English during a trip to Australia. She says students should practise and not be too self-conscious.

Secondary school English activities included role-playing based on books and Halloween for this Chinese major. She also took a university English course.

Listening to popular music such as K-pop improved this Economics major’s accent. Reading novels such as Harry Potter was an alternative to classroom learning for her.

This Marketing major would have paid more attention during class if high school English was more interactive. Tutorial lessons helped with grammar when she was young. She read The Shadow of the Wind and believes English is a requirement in business.

A teacher in secondary school asked this Business Administration major to make a class presentation. He read some e-books to prepare for his studies.

Copying a grammar book by hand taught this Social Work major important grammar items and sentence structure. Her English teacher motivated her to read English books by showing excerpts from movies.

There were more opportunities to chat with native English speakers in secondary school than in university for this Fashion major. She read Alice in Wonderland after seeing the movie.

An exchange to Japan exposed this Business major to the everyday use of English. From reading 1984, she understood that English is a medium for expressing thoughts.

Watching videos on YouTube taught this Nursing major how to speak English more fluently.

Attending classes in a learning centre was how this Accounting major acquired most of her language skills. Her mother used to read Harry Potter to her in Chinese which led her to read the English version later.

It took some time for this Japanese and English major to get used to an EMI secondary school. Talking to the NET in class also helped. She watches Japanese animation with English subtitles.

A trip to Shanghai during secondary school required this Journalism major to present her ideas in English. She used to write comments about the newspaper articles she clipped in secondary school.

University language classes required this Economics major to work with international students in English and other languages. She had to read The New York Times for one of her courses.

The feeling that she couldn’t express herself in complete sentences when speaking with foreigners motivated this English major to work harder. She checked the dictionary and wrote down the Chinese meanings while reading Harry Potter.

A tough teacher enabled this Law student to be better prepared for the IB exams and raised her interest in poetry from William Blake and Shakespeare. She liked reading Harry Potter.

An extra-curricular class arranged by her mum helped this Management major to expand her vocabulary. Her teachers recommended she read newspaper editorials.

Building a strong vocabulary in senior secondary helped this Chinese major to achieve a good College Entrance Exam result. He read a lot for the TOEFL exam and also took part in CET and GRE.

An American primary school teacher developed this Electronic Engineering major’s interest in learning with audio and visual tools. It made him realise that English is for communication rather than academic purposes. He was impressed by the beauty of the language after reading the Harry Potter series.

A variety of reading materials prepared by her teacher allowed this Law student to learn the language in different contexts. The English used in legal judgements is difficult to understand.

Being a Young Post cadet was a good way to learn how to write articles and develop a deeper understanding of English. This Arts major loves the book The Wishing Chair.

English acquired from exam drills in secondary school is inapplicable to this IT major’s university study. He read Harry Potter in school and looks at online resources for assignments or research.

After struggling with the HKCEE and failing A-level English, this student overcame his difficulties in his associate degree. He is planning to study overseas, but needs to improve his IELTS result.

A one-month English camp in Shanghai during junior high put this systems engineer in touch with foreign teachers. She read Harry Potter in English because she couldn’t wait for the Chinese version.

Along with learning grammar, this Dental student was taught how to compose sentences, paragraphs and essays. She became familiar with research papers and academic writing in university.

A NET improved this Chinese major’s spoken English while also learning about the culture associated with the language. She is interested in 19th century English culture and read books such as Pride and Prejudice.

Teaching junior students English in secondary school boosted this Surveying major’s language competency. He learnt about social issues while reading the South China Morning Post. He did a book report on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Studying in Hong Kong has exposed this Japanese student to spoken English though she still has some communication difficulties. Her favourite book is Harry Potter.

Watching movies like The Avengers was a way for this Public Administration major to learn to speak like a native. It also encouraged him to polish his English. He thinks articles in The Standard are better as they are shorter and easier to understand.

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

A teacher helped this student by creating an English language exercise involving entrepreneurial skills. He felt reading Shakespeare helped him and he now reads the South China Morning Post.

Attending optional university English tutorials require motivation for this student. She learnt English in kindergarten but secondary school was better because there were daily lessons. She read past papers to prepare for the DSE and looks for entertaining websites.

Watching TV shows exposed this English major to American accents and culture. She read articles from WeChat and browsed learning websites such as VOA and BBC.

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.

A psychology major enjoyed the time when a NET used drama in secondary school class and rewarded the students for their efforts. Another teacher used videos to engage students in reading Pride and Prejudice. She also read Harry Potter after watching the movie.

Watching football with English commentary made English learning more interesting according to this Global Logistics major. He used to read newspapers during secondary school but now he mostly reads lecture notes.

Working as a team in a debate competition was the most enjoyable experience for this Logistics major. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was the first book he read alone. It boosted his interest in English.

The Hunger Games and Harry Potter are good books but they are too thick to read in English for this Graphic Designer. She attended the Book Fair with her friend and was looking mainly for design books.

Watching a Batman movie allowed this Business major to learn English in a casual manner. He liked reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory because it’s related to his feelings.

Despite winning a competition singing an English song, this Management major does not think her interest in music helps her learning. She likes to read fashion magazines.

English learning started in Grade 3. This Translation major attended the Cambridge English courses in primary school. She travelled to the UK in senior secondary.