Primary school English classes involved improvisation and role-playing for this Arts major. There is so much new vocabulary in university readings that she spends the whole day looking up words in the dictionary.

Learning debate in an extra-curricular environment during Secondary 2 allowed this Business major to develop critical thinking skills. He read passages rather than books.

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.

Leading junior form students in a book sharing activity was satisfying for this Arts major. Reading Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother made her feel depressed because the mother was too strict.

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.

Watching online videos helped this Engineering major’s English pronunciation after her friends said she needed to improve. She loved reading about Steve Jobs.

The school Speech Festival required this Occupational Therapy major to read a poem with emotion. She is getting used to doing English presentations in university.

This Social Work major focused on grammar tenses, writing and speaking in junior secondary school. She learnt how to prepare a CV in university.

This student has been working with foreign tutors in the language centre in university. He is comfortable with the required readings but would like to improve his speaking and listening skills.

Participating in an outward bound programme in which most participants were foreigners immersed this Accounting major in an English speaking environment. Reading a textbook on business law boosted his confidence.

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.

A retired English teacher showed this History major the depth of the language through critical reading. He gets annoyed with the complexity of academic reading.

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.

A funny tutorial teacher helped this Nursing major memorise the lesson material better. She read fiction books like The Fault in Our Stars. Her favourite is The Green Mile which has an intriguing storyline.

Movies shown by a teacher in the UK helped this Electrical Engineering major improve his speaking and vocabulary. He learnt how to write a story from Harry Potter. He also reads about history.

A history teacher used drama to teach this Architecture major a variety of English accents. Animal Farm was a required reading. He is interested in books that have been made into movies.

Case studies in a language course brought out the issue of engineering ethics. Detailed analysis of actual cases made this Engineering major reflect on how to be a professional.

In order to improve his language skills for the DSE, this Textile major read the South China Morning Post. She thinks reading pop-up books is an interesting way to learn.

An all-English environment is important for learning the language according to this Logistics graduate. An exchange to Denmark let her to communicate in English. Watching TV dramas taught her communication skills.

A tutor in an extra-curricular class told this Design major that grammar does not matter which is the opposite of what she learnt in school. She thinks the passage on the DSE reading paper is very difficult to understand.

This Accounting major didn’t enjoy the exam-focused learning in school. He learnt more English when it was the MOI. He read The Red and the Black as well as detectives stories like Sherlock Holmes.

This Engineering major felt past papers instead of tutorial classes would have better prepared him for A-levels. A secondary school teacher advised him to use lyrics to improve his vocabulary. He likes Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Bruno Mars.

After being forced by a high school teacher to watch English videos in every language class for two terms, this IT major improved. She read Harry Potter in English because she could not wait for the Chinese version.

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.

Reading scientific articles and the South China Morning Post helped expand this Biology major’s vocabulary. It takes him more time to read books than the news because of the different vocabulary involved. He read Dear John and then watched the movie.

A British teacher helped this Chinese Medicine major develop an interest in English. He made notes of the unfamiliar vocabulary in academic readings. His favourite book is The Little Prince.

Presenting in English on a video for a university language course made this Urban Studies major nervous. She enjoyed the Lord of the Rings book and the movie because she could compare the text with the visuals.

English was more important than Malay when this Interior Design major started learning a language at home. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is his favourite read. He also loved One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.

Metaphor and rhetoric were introduced to this Dental student in junior secondary. He prepared for the DSE in senior secondary. He also did the IELTS exam.

Interacting with a NET was a valuable experience for this Accounting graduate. A friend recommended she read Fifty Shades of Grey.

A PhD student recalls watching Mr Bean videos in secondary school.

Social interaction with foreign students on the university campus is a great opportunity for this Nursing major to speak English as such chances were hard to come by during school years. He read Tuesdays with Morrie in English after finishing the Chinese version.

A good primary school teacher motivated this student who did well in dictation. She realised the advantages of being proficient in English and read books to increase her knowledge and ability with the language.

A university English course related to this Business major’s career goals. He started reading a book about expatriate life while travelling after buying it in an airport shop.

During an English camp in secondary school, this Science major learnt multiple drama techniques and prop names. Reading stories to kindergarten children was a win-win situation as she taught them English and also benefited from it.

Instead of learning grammar, this Arts major watched TED talks and read The New York Times and The Huffington Post in senior secondary school. She could not stop reading an English book even during an exam period.

From primary school to the A-levels, this Psychology major has worked on her English. Reading English literature is difficult.

Talking to the host mum in England every night improved this Earth Science major’s English. She watches YouTube to learn about travel, beauty and fashion.

Impromptu speaking during secondary school was valuable and helpful for this English major. Reading Crazy Rich Asians in university allowed her to experience a story that will not happen in her real life.

Although this Chinese Medicine major didn’t want to learn English, he had to for examinations. A secondary school teacher suggested he read the South China Morning Post to improve his language skills.