Nicholas Yung, Mathematics student at the University of Oxford, demonstrates the importance of planning ahead

Nicholas was a student at the Diocesan Boys’ School in Hong Kong, getting only average grades in his junior years. After selecting Physics, Biology, Chemistry and M1 as his senior secondary subjects, he managed to improve his grades a little, but still, studying in one of the best universities in the world seemed to be a remote and distant dream.

Nicholas’ parents decided to enroll him into ECA Education when he was in Form 4, hoping that he can attain better academic results. Apart from his normal school curriculum, ECA Education also prepared Nicholas for the GCE A-Level exams as an alternative route for his future studies. Of the 24 papers he had to take, he completed nine in F.4 and eight in F.5, so that when he went on to Brighton College to further his secondary studies, he was still able to tackle the remaining papers. His outstanding results led to him being offered a place in Form 7 instead of Form 6.

Meanwhile, Nicholas discovered an aptitude for Mathematics while taking tuition classes at ECA, which prompted him to take the Mathematics Aptitude Test of Oxford that same year. He got a superb score, and received a conditional offer from the University of Oxford after passing the well-known ‘titanic’ interview. At the same time, Nicholas also got 4 A*s in GCE, and was immediately accepted into the University of Oxford.

Although Nicholas had to put in a lot of effort and endure a packed learning schedule, he eventually made it into an internationally renowned university with strong encouragement and support from his family and ECA tutors. This story provides a shining example of how even seemingly average students can realise their potentials as well as their dream – with good teachers, hard work and proper planning.

– Nicholas (MS, 2014-2018)

Jeffrey Chan, undergraduate in HKU who received five offers from local and UK universities, after years of studying at ECA Education

Jeffrey was a student at the CMI Secondary School, a band 2 school. His mother Mrs. Chan took him to ECA Education to see Mr. Yung, Head Tutor of the Mathematics Programme. With the help of experienced tutors, Jeffrey soon began to see impressive improvements in his Mathematics results, scoring an average of 80 to 90 points in his exams.

Years later, Jeffrey was transferred to EMI secondary school of a higher band by virtue of his academic performance. However, Mrs. Chan still felt unsure about his son’s chances of getting into a local university, so after some deliberation, she decided to send Jeffrey abroad to pursue his senior secondary studies in the UK.

While studying abroad, Jeffrey was determined to do better. He made use of every term break and holiday in Hong Kong to book classes with ECA and work on his studies. Rather than just hang out with friends and relax, Jeffrey would seek help from Mr. Yung and bury his head into all kinds of exercises to strengthen his academic skills.

When Jeffrey finished the GCE, he was overjoyed to receive offers from the University College London and three local universities – the University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He decided to accept the offer from HKU to pursue his studies in Economics and Finance.

Although Jeffrey had a rough start in his secondary school years, he was able to achieve his goal of studying at a renowned university at the end, thanks to proper guidance and the strong determination to succeed on his part.

– Jeffrey (Econ and Account, 2014-2018)

“The Mathematics programme in ECA Education is particularly good for clarifying complicated concepts. Mathematics can be quite abstract, but ECA provides intensive training for solving complex problems and with practice, concepts started becoming more understandable. The other thing I like about it here is the small group teaching. Whenever I have a question, I can approach my tutors and get an instant response from them. Since enrolling in the programme, my Mathematics results have seen a significant improvement.”

– F.6 student from a local secondary school

“ECA Education creates the perfect learning environment for me to understand abstract mathematics formulae. The teachers at ECA are very nice, and would suggest useful study methods for different students to ensure everyone understands. We also practise with past papers from different schools, so we can learn from our own mistakes. Since taking tutorial classes at ECA, my grades have improved and I have also taken more interest in Maths.”

– F.6 student from a local secondary school

During the 5 years I have been studying at ECA, my academic results have significantly improved. Before studying at ECA, I would say that I wasn’t good at mathematics and even hated it.

In the past, I had been confused with those simple equations which I was unable to solve. During my lessons, Mr. Yung taught me alternative ways to deal with maths questions. He used real-life examples, which made mathematics a bit more interesting and easier to understand. Since then, mathematics has become my best subject and I was in turn more willing to put effort into it. The exercises and papers from ECA tutors also taught me how to solve different types of questions, and trained my maths skills and time management.

Not only did my tutors teach me an easier way to solve the problems, but they shared their own experiences in taking public examinations with me. For me, it was really enjoyable to study in such a warm and relaxing atmosphere as ECA.

I spent most of the time here finishing the designated work. I used to have no planning or direction when I study; however, ECA always required me to do past papers while my tutors pinpointed my weaknesses through follow-up exercises to ensure I was making an improvement. ECA not only helped me get higher scores in mathematics, but also in other subjects as I realised how important it was to find out my areas of weakness and adjust my learning style accordingly for each subject. By following the study plan and working hard, my overall performance was enhanced and eventually, I got satisfactory results. Now I am so proud to say that I am getting an offer from The Chinese University of Hong Kong for studying BBA in Insurance, Financial and Actuarial Analysis (IFAA). Hurray!

Thank you ECA! Thank you Mr. Yung!

– Daisy (CUHK – Insurance, Financial and Actuarial Analysis, 2015-2019)

“感謝 ECA各位老師多年來的悉心教導，我在今年的HKDSE考獲佳績，其中數學/M2/物理取得5**/5**/5*，成功入讀第一選擇香港中文大學(數學精研)學科。

在ECA補習數學Core，M2和物理期間，老師根據我的程度作出相應的講解及教導。數學老師針對我的弱項，對症下藥，通過大量相關練習，逐一改善我不擅長的課題和題型，大大地提升了我的答題速度；另外，物理科老師利用生活上的例子，講解抽象的概念和定律，令内容更具體和清晰，讓我作答時得心應手。

尤其是ECA首席老師容Sir，講解風趣幽默，設計一些簡單易明的方法應付不同的題型，讓我對沉悶的數理科產生了濃厚的興趣。在輕鬆的環境下學習，令我的自信心增添了不少，成績更在校内名列前茅，最終達成夢想，入讀心怡學科，多謝各位老師。”

– Ernest (CUHK – Enrichment Mathematics, 2015-2016)

Studying medicine and becoming a doctor has always been my aspiration in life. However, apart from strong determination and a caring heart, a high academic ability is also required to secure a place in medical school. Therefore, I have been training myself in this respect in the past two years. Without the endless support from my teachers in ECA, it would not have been possible to achieve a high mark in my International A-Level and to get a chance to study medicine.

I have been studying IAL in a private class at ECA since Form 4. It was quite difficult for me to take in the knowledge designed for Form 6 students, but their style of teaching made me more relaxed and motivated to tread the long road toward the exams. Besides using the textbook and doing Edexcel past papers, we also used videos and other sources for my studies, which made my studies more interesting. I also developed clearer concepts toward my subjects as my teachers drilled on past paper questions with me, one by one. Finally, during the learning process with my teachers, I found my best studying method, which helped me pass the A-Level exams. I believe that the methods I’ve learnt these two years will continue to benefit me as I further my studies.

Not only were my teachers caring during my studies, but we have become good friends! From the start, ECA has provided me with a very secure atmosphere in which to learn. Here, they have also supported me in applying for universities and in choosing my career path. I am very grateful to ECA for these two years of unforgettable and valuable experiences, and I hope that sharing my experience can help my fellow friends in ECA!

– Ambrose (CUHK – Medicine, 2015-2021)

Kelvin是一所普通中學的學生，中二的時候, 開始在ECA EDUCATION跟隨容生學習數學，僅僅一個學期，成績突飛猛進，校内測驗考試經常90多分，數學成爲最強的科目。隨後，在ECA修讀International A-level（IAL）的科目，并於2016 年考獲佳績，同時收到香港大學及香港科技大學的取錄，最後選擇入讀香港大學(經濟金融)學科。

Kevin 自小的夢想是入讀香港大學商學院，但是中文科和通識科成績較弱，估計用HKDSE的成績未能達到香港大學的入學要求。他和家長商量後，決定在香港自修International A-Level (IAL)的課程。ECA的老師爲Kevin提供了海量的模擬試題，而且針對他的弱項加以強化，令他學到有用的技巧及竅門，面對不同題型時也能得心應手。同時老師非常嚴格，要求Kevin必須完成每天的學習，否則不可以放學，老師也要留堂。

雖然透過報考IAL，用非聯招的方式入讀香港的大學，是一條不容易的出路，但是Kevin非常努力，并在ECA資深老師的悉心的指導下，成功達成目標，他的選擇成功了!

– Kelvin (HKU – Economics and Finance, 2015-2018)