Secondary education included tenses, grammar, reading, and writing. Speaking was more important in senior secondary and university. This Dentistry major also learnt vocabulary outside school.

A drama competition in secondary school was a welcome break from exams and textbooks for this English major. He was the scriptwriter and used a dictionary to complete the job. The local content in the SCMP is appealing.

To prepare for the IELTS speaking test, this History major practised by herself in her room. Reading a 600-page textbook was a crazy experience.

Tutorial classes improved this Economics major’s speech. She prefers the Harry Potter books to the movies because text exposes her to the whole scene.

This Korean Business major went to Canada to learn English for one year because she wanted to get into an international school. She tries to learn new words when reading.

A drama project with a NET in college taught this Engineering major to speak on stage like a native. He had to read a lot of reference books and lecture notes to get good results in examinations.

Joining a competition in Toronto allowed this Finance major to talk with the locals, which helped improve his English. He enjoys newspapers. He also read Harry Potter.

Watching western soap operas helped this Business major improve her pronunciation. She watched Harry Potter with her friends and read the book series to get more details.

English lessons in the UK were designed to cater to this Law major’s needs. A teacher helped her understand A Christmas Carol. She now mostly reads academic books but she also likes reading biographies.

Interesting readings and activities have made university English lessons attractive to this Nursing major. After watching the movie Sherlock Holmes, she read the book but it was difficult for her.

Going on exchanges and also interacting with visiting students improved this Marketing major’s vocabulary in secondary school. She likes audio books reviewed on YouTube.

Doing English Builder online in secondary school was irritating, whereas university language course was more practical for this Journalism major. She read Shakespeare’s works, The Lord of the Rings and Greek mythology Percy Jackson. Now she reads magazines and The New York Times online.

Despite the coaching from a good teacher, this student did not get the DSE result she wanted. She reads mostly for academic purposes. She has a part-time job where she uses English to communicate with visitors.

This Social Worker had a lot of chances to use and improve his English during a working holiday in New Zealand. While there he communicated with native English speakers daily.

A secondary school teacher who had failed the English public exams shared his experience with this Business major. Reading Tuesdays with Morrie inspired her.

Extra-curricular tutorials during primary school were more relaxing than formal lessons for this Engineering major. She’s a fan of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the Merchant of Venice.

Repetitive English exercises were done in class to prepare for the Gaokao. This Biochemistry major read The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan and watched the movie. He found the story so moving.

A teacher used the alphabet and pictures to help this student build her vocabulary. She also likes reading Harry Potter.

A postgraduate Chinese language teaching student worked hard to pass the IELTS exam. She reads children’s books because she feels her English is poor.

University English lessons taught this Accounting major how to use the language and see it in an interesting way. He started to read books every week after his parents brought him to the library. He likes Percy Jackson.

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.

In high school, this Engineering chatted with a native speaker. He had to read simplified English novels and write his feeling and feedback. Wuthering Heights is his favourite novel.

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.

Extra-curricular English classes improved this Engineering major’s confidence and chances of attending a better secondary school. His teacher encouraged him to read a newspaper.

This Computer Science major reads websites, such as Smashing Magazine and TIME. She likes reading about entertainment and photography.

An exemplary teacher in elementary school took the time to help this English major which he appreciates a lot. A comment from a librarian propelled him to push himself to learn to read.

A Chinese Language Teaching major enjoyed drama in junior secondary school. She read Tuesdays with Morrie because it was compulsory. She says her secondary school English teacher helped her get a good result in the DSE.

Giving a speech made this Accounting major realise that the most important aspect of speaking English is confidence. She prefers the Harry Potter books more than the movies.

Watching videos of songs on YouTube in primary school and movies in secondary helped this English Education major. Literature classes in university are better than in secondary school. The Story of an Hour has a surprising ending.

Using songs such as Money Money Money and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious to learn English in secondary school was fun for this Fashion and Textiles major. She read Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.

Watching American TV drama and movies and lessons with a good English teacher are the reasons why this student feels he has good English communication skills. Reading 1984 in preparation for an assessment started his interest in English. University English is skill-based.

An active learning environment in university language classes including presentations and discussions enabled this Business major to speak more English. Reading poetry allows him to know more about English culture. Shakespeare is his favourite writer.

In the university English lessons, this Chemistry major had a debate, and it was quite challenging for her. She enjoyed reading a book about dream interpretation.

To prepare for DSE exams, this Biology major watched different TV dramas such as Gossip Girl and read The Standard. She likes reading books that she is interested in and read Why Men Marry Bitches.

Tutorial classes taught by a NET forced this Quantitative Finance major to speak English. He read Harry Potter because he was motivated to get better academic results. He learnt vocabulary and everyday English.

This Computing major listens to audio books before sleep. She read the last book of the Harry Potter series because the Chinese version wasn’t available. She also read Twilight, The Hunger Games, Divergent and A Song of Ice and Fire.

A secondary school teacher encouraged this student to let English into his heart. He liked drama and poetry. He gets immersed when reading books such as Cloud Atlas and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

A camp in secondary school organised by students from the University of Cambridge motivated this Chemistry major to learn English through drama and songs. A struggling reader at first, she managed to conquer English novels after going through the first two Harry Potter books with the help of a dictionary.

Two secondary school teachers inspired this student to learn English. One teacher used songs and English movies with subtitles while the other emphasised a lifelong need for the language.

University English classes with discussion have been a good way for this Business major to practise using the language. He read Harry Potter after borrowing it from his aunt.