Want a one-to-one tutor over video? Our online tuition page explains how we match one. Still choosing between a screen and a tutor at your table? Read online vs in-person tuition first.
The best online tuition for 2027 is the format that fits your child's age and the kind of help they need, not the platform with the most features. There are four main kinds: live one-to-one lessons, live group classes, recorded or adaptive platforms, and hybrid centres that mix a classroom with an app. UK evidence on school tutoring puts one-to-one at about five extra months of progress and groups of two to five at about four, with effects dropping once groups pass six or seven. Through TSS, a live one-to-one lesson online costs the same as a home lesson, S$25 to S$130 an hour in 2027 by level and tutor type.
What each format gives your child
- A tutor's full attentionLive one-to-oneA tutor teaches your child alone over video, sees their working and adjusts each lesson. The closest online match to a home tutor.
- A teacher shared with classmatesLive small-group classA scheduled class follows a set scheme of work. Your child can ask questions, but the pace is the class's.
- Practice at your child's paceRecorded or adaptive platformVideo lessons and auto-marked questions that adjust to what your child gets wrong. Nobody watches the working live.
- A classroom plus an appHybrid centreWeekly lessons at a centre, with online worksheets or recorded lessons in between.
A quick test: if your child understands the topic and needs more practice, a platform may be enough. If they are stuck and cannot say why, they need a person who can watch them work.
What the evidence says about group size and screens
No Singapore study compares online and in-person private tuition. The best evidence comes from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), which reviews tutoring run by schools in England. Read it as a guide to what tends to work, not a forecast for private tuition here.
Three findings matter here. The screen is not the problem: for one-to-one tuition, the EEF says studies involving digital technology show broadly similar effects. Group size is: "the smaller the group the better". And apps work best alongside teaching, not instead of it. Its tutoring guide adds that younger pupils are likely to benefit from more regular, shorter sessions.
- Pupils in the EEF's 2020 national online tutoring pilot, across 65 schools
- 1,425
- Schools in that pilot reporting a lack of equipment as a challenge
- 48%
- Learners in the pilot who wanted to carry on with online tutoring
- 87%
- Harder to build online, tutors found, and both sides preferred face-to-face
- Rapport
The pilot tested whether online tutoring could run, not exam gains. Its lesson: equipment and rapport decide whether online lessons work.
Which format fits your child
- P1 to P3, any subjectShort live one-to-one lessons with an adult in the next room, or home lessons if attention drifts.
- P4 to P6 Maths or Science, stuck on methodsLive one-to-one where the tutor sees every line through a pen tablet or a camera over the page.
- P5 to P6, keeping up but needs practiceAn adaptive platform, with a tutor or parent checking the hard questions each week.
- P6 or Sec 4 composition and essaysLive one-to-one with photographed scripts marked on screen and rewritten next lesson.
- Sec 1 to 4, revising SEC topicsLive one-to-one, or a group of six or fewer, with recorded lessons for topics already taught.
- JC H2 Math or sciencesLive one-to-one with a pen tablet, since most of the lesson is written working.
- Wants a class and an app with little travelA hybrid centre near home or school.
Three providers' formats, from their own sites
| Provider | Format | What its own site says | Levels and subjects listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 88tuition | Recorded platform with live sessions | Video-based lessons, "LIVE Tutorials", computer-aided assessments, worksheets updated weekly | Pre-school to Sec 4. Maths, English, Science, Chinese |
| Geniebook | Hybrid | Weekly live group classes or recorded lessons, 30 personalised worksheets a week, an on-demand help chat, and in-person CAMPUS lessons its FAQ gives as 1.5 hours once a week | P1 to Sec 4, plus a JC online programme. English, Chinese, Maths, Science |
| KooBits | Adaptive platform | Personalised questions based on progress, animated tutorial videos, auto-marked questions with instant feedback, progress reports | P1 to P6. Maths, Science, English, Chinese, one subject per plan |
None states a live class size on the pages we read, so ask. A platform builds fluency once your child can do a topic, not before.
Setting up the room before the first lesson
Most failed online lessons fail on setup, not teaching. Do this the week before.
- Use a laptop or a tablet, not a phoneShared worked examples are too small on a phone. A secondary school device runs MOE device management software, so ask the school before using it.
- Let the tutor see handwritingA pen tablet or a stylus lets your child write on a shared whiteboard. The cheaper option is a phone on a stand, joined to the call as a second camera over the exercise book.
- Add a headset with a microphoneIt cuts echo and noise, which matters most for oral practice.
- Pick a desk in a shared spaceA table, not a bed. For primary children, keep the door open and an adult within earshot.
- Run a ten-minute test callCheck camera, microphone, screen sharing and whiteboard, and practise sending a clear photo of a written page.
- Agree how marked work comes backOne folder or chat thread per subject, so corrections are easy to find before a test.
A well-run online lesson and a poorly run one
The trial tells you most of what you need. Here is a Sec 3 A-Math lesson, run two ways.
| Point | Well run | Poorly run |
|---|---|---|
| First five minutes | Tutor opens last week's marked work and names today's target, such as factorising cubics | Tutor asks what your child wants to do today |
| Seeing the working | Your child writes on a pen tablet or under a camera, and the tutor comments line by line | Tutor sees only final answers typed into the chat |
| Who talks | Your child explains each step aloud for much of the hour | Tutor talks over slides to a silent student |
| Written work | A timed question is photographed, marked on screen and sent back | Work stays in the exercise book, unchecked |
| After the lesson | A short note to you on what was covered and what to practise | Nothing unless you ask |
For a P2 or P3 child, the same rules apply with shorter lessons and a parent close by.
Recording, consent and safety: the PDPA basics
The Personal Data Protection Act governs how organisations collect, use and disclose personal data. PDPC's education guidance covers organisations that provide instruction or teaching, and its March 2024 guidance on children's data names education technology among the services it covers.
| Your child's age | Who gives consent, per PDPC guidance |
|---|---|
| Below 13 | A parent or guardian, who should be told what the data is for |
| 13 to 17 | The child, if the provider's policies are easy for them to understand. An education provider may still choose to ask the parent |
| 18 and over | Consent given earlier stays valid |
PDPC's education guidance treats a recorded virtual class as collecting students' facial images and voices, and says it is good practice to tell students when and why a class is recorded. Before agreeing to recording, ask why, who can watch it, where it is stored and when it is deleted. PDPC also says withdrawing consent should be as easy as giving it.
Two house rules help too: messages between a tutor and a young child go through a parent's phone, and nobody shares school logins on a call.
MOH's January 2025 guidance advises under two hours a day of screens outside school for ages 7 to 12, unless for schoolwork. Even so, a long evening lesson is a lot for a nine-year-old.
Questions to ask before you book a trial
| Ask | A good answer includes |
|---|---|
| How will you see my child's working? | A pen tablet, a shared whiteboard or a camera on the page |
| For a class: how many students join? | A number. The EEF evidence favours six or fewer |
| How do you mark written work? | Photographed pages marked and returned before the next lesson |
| Which syllabus are you teaching to? | For Sec 4 in 2027, the SEC subject and G level, not just "O-Level" |
| Do you record lessons? | Only with written consent, a reason and a deletion date |
| What if the connection drops? | A backup link or phone call, and the lost time made up |
What online tuition through TSS costs in 2027
Our pricing page sets one rate for a one-to-one lesson at home or online. Online lessons run on Zoom or Google Meet.
| Level | Part-time or undergraduate | Full-time | Ex-MOE or NIE-trained | Typical hours a week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 to P4 | S$25 to S$35 | S$35 to S$45 | S$50 to S$70 | 1.0 to 1.5 |
| P5 to P6 | S$30 to S$40 | S$40 to S$55 | S$60 to S$80 | 1.5 to 2.0 |
| Sec 1 to 2 | S$30 to S$45 | S$45 to S$60 | S$60 to S$85 | 1.5 to 2.0 |
| Sec 3 to 4, SEC G1 to G3 | S$35 to S$45 | S$45 to S$65 | S$65 to S$95 | 1.5 to 2.0 |
| JC1 to JC2 | S$45 to S$60 | S$65 to S$90 | S$90 to S$130 | 1.5 to 2.5 |
| IB Diploma and IGCSE | S$45 to S$60 | S$65 to S$90 | S$90 to S$130 | 1.5 to 2.5 |
Classes and platforms charge by the month or term, so per-hour comparisons are not like for like. Our guides to tuition centres and tuition agencies set out what others publish.
Common questions
Is online tuition as effective as face-to-face?
No Singapore study compares them. EEF evidence from UK schools finds one-to-one studies using digital technology show broadly similar effects, though in its online pilot both tutors and learners preferred face-to-face.
What age is too young for online tuition?
There is no official cut-off. Lower primary children need short lessons and an adult nearby, and many families find home lessons easier at that age.
Do I need a pen tablet for online maths?
It helps, because the tutor sees each line of working. A phone on a stand over the exercise book, joined as a second camera, does the same job for less.
How many students should an online class have?
Ask for a number before you enrol. In UK school studies, effectiveness dropped once groups passed six or seven.
Can a tutor record my child's lessons?
Only with consent. PDPC guidance says a parent or guardian must consent for a child under 13.
Is online tuition cheaper than home tuition?
Not through TSS. Our pricing page sets the same hourly rate for both, from S$25 an hour at P1 to P4 to S$130 at JC.
Official sources
- EEF, One to one tuition, Teaching and Learning Toolkit, read 26 October 2026
- EEF, Small group tuition, Teaching and Learning Toolkit, read 26 October 2026
- EEF, Individualised instruction, Teaching and Learning Toolkit, read 26 October 2026
- EEF, Making a difference with effective tutoring, 2022
- EEF, Evaluation of the National Online Tutoring Pilot, February 2021
- PDPC, Advisory Guidelines on the PDPA for Children's Personal Data in the Digital Environment, 28 March 2024
- PDPC, Advisory Guidelines for the Education Sector, revised 25 April 2024
- MOH, Grow Well SG to support families in building healthy habits in children, 21 January 2025
- MOE, Blended learning to enhance schooling experience, 29 December 2020
- Providers' own sites, read 26 October 2026: 88tuition, Geniebook, KooBits
Written by Theon Teo, Founder and Mathematics Tutor, The Singapore Syllabus. DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore, Game Development & Computer Science · 3 years' Mathematics teaching (Primary & Secondary). More about Theon
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