Sec 1 English Tuition Singapore 2027: 11 Centres, S$37 to S$66 an Hour

For Sec 1 or Sec 2 English, the right centre depends on the gap you want closed.

• Price: Mind Stretcher prints S$294.30 a month for weekday lessons across 29 centres, and illum.e charges S$80 for a 2-hour lesson at six campuses.
• Writing: Write Edge runs a three-week cycle of comprehension, writing and core skills at 14 branches.
• A capped class: Lil' but Mighty keeps every group at 6, Academia caps its weekday Focus classes at 4, and Ancourage teaches 3 to 6.
• One familiar teacher: Augustine's founder, who started the centre in 2004, teaches every class himself.
• G2 or G1 English: Ancourage is the only centre here with its own Sec 1 G2 and G1 English pages.

Only seven of the 11 print a fee, in four different units from per lesson to per semester, so the table converts each one to an hourly figure.

The 11 Sec 1 and Sec 2 English tuition centres compared

Our per-hour column is simple arithmetic: the printed fee divided by the printed lesson hours. Every centre here teaches 2-hour lessons where it states a length.

To see how a tutor is paired with a G1, G2 or G3 English student, read about secondary English with us. Rates for Primary 1 to JC are on the pricing page.

How we chose these centres

Seven names here also appear on a widely ranked Sec 1 English list. We kept a centre only if its own site showed a Sec 1 or Sec 2 English class, at least one of fee, class size, lesson length or teacher, and a current address.

Three names from other Sec 1 English lists are not here. OverMugged's English page shows only an O-Level heading and a trial banner, and its lower secondary menu lists maths and science, not English.

iMatter Learning Centre has no website of its own that we could find, only directory entries. The Alternative Story is covered in our wider English tuition guide, and we kept this page to a different set. No centre paid to be listed here, and the details below are alphabetical, not ranked.

The 11 centres in detail

Academia

Academia names its lower secondary lead: Jeremiah Sng, Head of Language Arts and Lower Secondary, with an NIE Master of Education and an NUS degree in English Language and Literature.

• Classes are writing-heavy, with repeatable frameworks for comprehension and essay structure, timed writing and mock tests, and the curriculum is written in-house to the MOE syllabus.
• From 2027 its Core and Focus classes cost the same, and Focus classes are capped at 4 on weekdays and 6 on weekends for the whole year.
• The price rises with the teacher tier you choose, from Core or Focus to Head or Counsel to Director.

• Suits: a family that wants to know who teaches and is happy to pay for a very small weekday group.
• May not suit: a family on a tight budget, since even the entry tier works out at S$62.50 an hour, or one far from Sin Ming, the only branch.

Fees as published: 2027 Sec 1 and 2 term fees, including tax: Core or Focus S$1,500 for a 12-week term (S$1,625 for the 13-week Term 2), Head or Counsel S$1,740, Director S$2,160. Registration is S$115 once. Paying for the year by week 6 of Term 1 takes 8% off.

Branches: 6 Sin Ming Road, #01-15. The centre does not name the nearest MRT. Online classes are also offered.

Website: academia.com.sg secondary English

Ask at the trial:

• Which tier is the Sec 1 class my child would join, and who teaches it?
• Is it a Focus class with the cap of 4?
• What does the three-lesson trial package cost?

Ancourage Academy

Ancourage writes separate pages for Sec 1 G3, G2 and G1 English, which no other centre on this list does.

The G3 course covers narrative and non-narrative comprehension, situational writing such as letters and reports, continuous writing, grammar, summarising and oral presentations, and prepares students for school weighted assessments. Its method mixes spaced review (weekly quizzes, essay rewrites every fortnight and timed practice at term end), guided questioning and support that is withdrawn step by step, from annotated model answers to writing alone.

• Suits: a child placed at G2 or G1 English, or one who goes quiet in a big class, since groups are 3 to 6.
• May not suit: a parent who wants a price before calling, because fees are quoted per child, or a family in the east or west.

Fees as published: not published. The pricing page says there are no registration, material or administrative fees. A 24-lesson package paid in blocks of 4 holds a 4-lesson deposit that is used for the last 4 lessons. A trial is offered, but the site flags its present trial terms as a short-run offer, so ask what applies when you call.

Branches: Bishan, at Blk 152 Bishan Street 11, unit #01-215, which the centre puts at a 10-minute walk from Bishan MRT. Woodlands, at unit #02-16 of Vista Point (548 Woodlands Drive 44), roughly 5 minutes on foot from Woodlands South MRT.

Website: ancourage.academy Sec 1 English

Ask at the trial:

• Is there a separate Sec 1 G2 group at my branch, or do G2 and G3 students share a class?
• What is the per-lesson fee on a 24-lesson package?
• How many essay rewrites will my child do in Term 1?

Augustine's English Classes

Teacher Augustine founded the centre in 2004 and teaches every class himself, so there is no rotation of tutors.

The Sec 1 course sets fixed planning structures for continuous, discursive and situational writing and step-by-step methods for literal, inferential and vocabulary-in-context questions, with drills on synthesis, transformation and cloze. In Sec 2 the focus moves to tone, purpose and implied meaning, argumentative writing and timed oral discussion. The centre states that 82% of students improve by at least 2 grades within 6 to 9 months.

• Suits: an east-side family that wants one teacher who knows the child from Sec 1 to Sec 4.
• May not suit: a family that needs a printed fee to plan with, or one living far from Marine Parade.

Fees as published: the site does not print a fee. Parents can book a trial at no charge, and the child simply joins an ordinary lesson with the class.

Branches: 86 Marine Parade Central, #04-302. Marine Parade MRT is the closest station on our map check.

Website: augustineenglishclasses.com programmes

Ask at the trial:

• What is the monthly fee for Sec 1, and how long is each lesson?
• How many students are in the Sec 1 class now?
• How does the class handle a child whose school sets a different essay type in Term 1?

British Council

The British Council's Secondary English course runs one weekly class for 44 weeks a year, built around real-world projects, current issues and collaboration with British Council students abroad.

It states that its courses are aligned to the MOE syllabus, and parents get regular written reports and an online progress dashboard. The Sec 1 slots are on Friday evenings and at weekends.

• Suits: a confident reader who would gain from discussion, debate and projects as well as exam skills.
• May not suit: a child who needs drilled exam formats for the next weighted assessment, or a family that wants to pay monthly, since billing is by semester.

Fees as published: 2027 Semester 2 (Terms 3 and 4, 22 weeks) S$2,642.64 for Sec 1 or Sec 2, billed by the lessons in the semester. Semester 1 is S$2,522.52, which fits 21 lessons at the same S$120.12 a lesson. GST is not stated. Open house discounts are time-limited, so we have not used them.

Branches: Napier Road Centre, 30 Napier Road (Napier MRT is the closest station on our map check). Toa Payoh Centre, 480 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh (Toa Payoh MRT, our map check).

Website: britishcouncil.sg Secondary English

Ask at the trial:

• How much of each week is spent on the school's situational and continuous writing formats?
• How many students sit in the Saturday Sec 1 class?
• Can my child join in Term 2 and pay only for the lessons left?

Future Academy

Future Academy teaches Sec 1 and Sec 2 English alongside maths and lower secondary science at three central branches, each a short walk from an MRT station.

The ratio is never above 1 teacher to 6 students, and a full class opens a new slot. Its secondary English page covers editing, situational and continuous writing with personal feedback, skimming and inference, and oral practice where every student speaks each lesson.

• Suits: a family near Bugis, Bukit Timah or Toa Payoh that wants English and maths at the same centre.
• May not suit: a family that wants a trial first, as none is published, or one watching cost, as this is the highest entry rate here.

Fees as published: S$528 for 4 lessons of 2 hours, or S$1,584 for 13 lessons (pay for 12). Registration S$20, refundable deposit S$150, no material fees. A second subject is 5% off and a sibling 10% off. One month's notice to stop. GST is not mentioned.

Branches: Bugis, in Burlington Square on Bencoolen Street, which the centre says is a minute or two from Rochor MRT. Bukit Timah, on level 10 of Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, three minutes from Beauty World MRT. Braddell, at OnePeople.sg on Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, beside Braddell MRT. Lessons can also be joined live on ClassIn.

Website: futureacademy.sg secondary

Ask at the trial:

• Who teaches Sec 1 English, since the named teachers on the site teach maths and science?
• Can my child sit in one lesson before buying the 4-lesson block?
• How many are in the class now?

illum.e

Illum.e prints a lower secondary fee of S$80 for a 2-hour lesson and says it runs separate modules for G1, G2 and G3 English.

Teachers who write published assessment books prepare the materials, which include ten sets of content notes for oral and writing topics and transcripts of national listening papers. Lessons open with a skill demonstration, move to guided tasks with instant feedback, then to harder work, and in-house mocks copy exam conditions.

• Suits: a family that wants a low printed fee and a campus in its own region.
• May not suit: a parent who wants a stated class cap, as only an average of about 8 per teacher is given.

Fees as published: S$80 per 2-hour lower secondary lesson. Upper secondary is S$90. GST, registration and trial terms are not stated.

Branches: six campuses: Jurong East, Novena Square 2, Beauty World, Parkway Centre, Hougang and Tampines. The site gives building names but no street addresses or MRT stations for most of them.

Website: illum.education secondary English

Ask at the trial:

• Is the Sec 1 class taught as a G3 module or a mixed group?
• Is GST added to the S$80?
• How many students are in this slot?

Learning Point

Learning Point offers a Secondary 1 English programme that teaches the formats and skills of secondary English from Term 1, through modelled examples, guided practice and exam-style work with feedback.

Its secondary English course adds lessons on speaking and presentation and weekly current affairs discussions. New Sec 1 students can book an assessment at no charge, which looks at strengths, weak spots and learning style before placement.

• Suits: a child who would benefit from a level check before joining, or a family near one of its five malls.
• May not suit: a parent comparing printed fees or class sizes, as neither is published.

Fees as published: not published. Schedules and fees are sent over WhatsApp.

Branches: Thomson Plaza, Bukit Timah Plaza, Parkway Centre, Oasis Terraces and Century Square. By our map check the closest stations are Upper Thomson, Beauty World, Marine Parade, Oasis LRT and Tampines.

Website: learningpoint.com.sg Secondary 1 English

Ask at the trial:

• What will the assessment tell us, and will we get it in writing?
• What is the monthly fee for Sec 1?
• How long is each lesson and how many are in the class?

Lil' but Mighty

Lil' but Mighty names its lower secondary courses S1 Attain and S2 Elevate and covers all four SEC papers in them: editing, situational and continuous writing, comprehension, listening and oral.

Every class is capped at 6, all materials are included, and classes run on-site or online.

• Suits: a child who needs a small group and a family that wants the full monthly cost in writing.
• May not suit: a family in the north, where none of its 10 branches sits, or one put off by a deposit of a month's fees.

Fees as published: 2026 fees, including GST: S$119.90 per 2-hour lesson, S$479.60 a month on 4 lessons (some months have 5). Deposit of 4 weeks' fees, a one-time registration fee (amount not stated) and no material fees. 2027 standard fees are not yet printed.

Branches: Bukit Batok Central, Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, Clementi Avenue 3, Hougang Street 21, Parkway Centre, Goldhill Plaza, 321 Alexandra Road, Tampines Plaza 1, Upper Thomson Road and Yio Chu Kang CC. On our map check, the Tampines, Novena and Clementi branches are each a few minutes from the MRT of the same name.

Website: lilbutmightyenglish.com secondary

Ask at the trial:

• What will the 2027 Sec 1 fee be?
• How much is the registration fee?
• Does S1 Attain teach all four papers every month, or one paper at a time?

Mind Stretcher

Mind Stretcher runs Secondary 1 English and Language Arts at 29 physical centres and online, the widest reach on this list.

Its Sec 1 course names literary analysis and summary writing as new components after PSLE, alongside writing, critical reasoning and public speaking. Students taking two or more subjects can get a bundle discount of up to 20% on monthly fees.

• Suits: a family that wants the lowest printed hourly cost and a centre close to home, in any region.
• May not suit: a parent who wants a stated class size, which is not published, or one who wants to try a lesson without paying.

Fees as published: AY2027 Sec 1 and Sec 2 English, including 9% GST: S$294.30 for a 4-week weekday month, S$316.10 at weekends. 5-week months are S$367.88 and S$395.13. Registration S$76.30 and a deposit of 5 academic weeks per subject. One paid trial class is offered, price not printed. The Sec 1 level page shows S$283.40 to S$305.20 a month instead, so ask which figure applies.

Branches: 29 centres, among them Woodlands, Yishun, Punggol Waterway Point, Sengkang Compass One, Tampines, Marine Parade, Clementi, Westgate, Bishan and Novena. Three are Mind Sparks student care centres with weekday hours only.

Website: mindstretcher.com Sec 1 and fees

Ask at the trial:

• Which monthly fee applies in 2027, the fees page or the level page?
• How many students are in the Sec 1 English class at this centre?
• How much does the paid trial cost?

Write Edge

Write Edge teaches secondary English in a three-week cycle: comprehension (with 18 O-Level question types, summary and visual text), then writing (narrative, recount, argumentative, discursive and situational), then core skills such as grammar in context, editing errors and current affairs.

Its writing frames include PEEL paragraphs and show-not-tell. Classes are capped at 8, and materials are free.

• Suits: a strong primary writer who must now write arguments and formal emails, or a family that wants a printed fee and a branch nearby.
• May not suit: a child who mainly needs oral or listening practice, as the page says the course covers 70% of the O-Level paper.

Fees as published: 2026: S$95 per 2-hour lesson, S$1,140 for a 12-lesson term. Registration S$80, refundable deposit S$100, materials free. Tampines and Westgate fees carry 9% GST. 2027 fees are not yet printed.

Branches: 14, including Punggol Central, Great World, Bedok North Street 1, West Coast CC, Woods Square in Woodlands, The Poiz Centre, Yishun Street 51, Westgate, Anchorvale Crescent, Beauty World Centre and Tampines Plaza 1, plus online. The site does not say which branches run Sec 1 classes.

Website: write-edge.com secondary English

Ask at the trial:

• Does this branch run a Sec 1 class, or are Sec 1 and Sec 3 students mixed?
• Which week of the cycle will my child start in?
• Is GST added at this branch?

Writers Studio

Writers Studio runs a Secondary 1 Preparatory Programme and its STARDREAM course for Sec 1 to Sec 4.

The course covers discursive, expository and argumentative essays, situational writing with the visual text, summary, editing, comprehension and oral. From 2026 lessons can be taken on-site, online or hybrid, and the centre's teaching follows its STeW approach (See, Think Effectively, Wonder).

• Suits: a family near Beauty World or Kovan that wants the option of joining online on busy weeks.
• May not suit: a parent who wants a printed fee or lesson length.

Fees as published: no figure on the site. Parents can book a trial English class through a form, but its cost and length are not given.

Branches: Beauty World Centre, 144 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #03-06 (Beauty World MRT, our map check). Blk 211 Hougang Street 21, #01-297, which the centre calls its Kovan branch (Kovan MRT, our map check).

Website: writerstudio.com.sg secondary English

Ask at the trial:

• Is the Sec 1 class separate from Sec 2?
• What is the term fee, and how long is a lesson?
• How many in the group join online?

What changes in English from P6 to Sec 1

Secondary English follows MOE's English Language Syllabus 2020, used from the 2020 Secondary One cohort. MOE says it moves students on to longer and more complex texts and to "an informed personal and critical response" in speaking and writing. In practice, three things change at once.

The writing tasks get longer and more formal

At PSLE, a child writes a short functional piece and a composition of at least 150 words in one 70-minute paper. By the SEC at the end of Sec 4, G3 students write a 250 to 350 word situational piece built from a visual text and a 350 to 500 word essay on one of four topics, which may be narrative or argument.

MOE's skills chart, from upper primary into lower secondary, asks for growing attention to "texts that respond, argue, evaluate and/or persuade", so argument and discussion arrive well before Sec 4. Our SEC continuous writing guide shows the four-topic choice and how essays are marked, and the situational writing guide covers the email, letter, report and speech formats.

Weights shift: a worked example

The share of the grade each task carries changes too. Using SEAB's published marks and weightings:

The arithmetic for situational writing: 30 ÷ 70 × 35% = 15%, against 14 ÷ 200 = 7% at PSLE. That is why centres that drill formal emails and reports from Sec 1 are not over-preparing.

The level system: G1, G2 and G3

Since the 2024 Secondary One cohort, streams have gone, and each subject is taken at G1, G2 or G3. The PSLE score sets the usual starting level, and English can start higher on the PSLE English grade.

G2 and G3 share one MOE syllabus, and G1 has its own syllabus that continues from Foundation English at P5 and P6. At the SEC, G3 English is paper K300 and G2 is K200. The G2 papers keep the same four-paper shape with shorter writing: 180 to 250 words for situational writing and 250 to 400 for the essay. Our Full SBB guide explains how levels change later.

School assessments in Sec 1 and Sec 2

There is no national English exam in lower secondary. MOE removed mid-year exams at all primary and secondary levels by 2023, so a Sec 1 English grade now comes from weighted assessments set during the year and an end-of-year exam.

MOE's syllabus leaves the timing to each school and says lower secondary assessment can cover "a more varied range of learning outcomes" than upper secondary, so a Sec 1 weighted assessment might be a situational writing task, an oral presentation or a comprehension test. Ask the school for its assessment plan in the first week, and give any centre a copy.

The 2027 term dates are from MOE's calendar. The 2030 SEC year is our count of four years from Sec 1, not an MOE date.

The bridge to SEC English

Sec 1 and Sec 2 are where the SEC skills are built, even though the exam is three years away. The SEC tests:

• editing, situational writing and an essay in Paper 1
• four texts and a summary in Paper 2
• listening with a note-taking task
• a planned response and discussion in the oral.

Our guides to comprehension and summary and the SEC English oral set out each paper. For Sec 3 and 4 classes, see our O-Level and SEC English centres list.

Centre, home tutor or online?

A child who reads widely and enjoys debate often does well in a group, because hearing classmates argue a point helps their own essays. A child who scored AL5 or below in PSLE English, or who is working from G2 towards G3, often needs an hour that marks their own drafts line by line.

Centres by area

How to choose