IB Chemistry Tuition Singapore
SL and HL Chemistry for the Structure and Reactivity course first assessed in 2025
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No contract and no minimum number of lessons. The first lesson is a paid trial at the tutor's rate. Cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours ahead, or that lesson is charged.
- Typical rate
- S$45 to S$130/hr
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- 2 to 4 tutors in 16h
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IB Chemistry Tuition rates in Singapore
Hourly rates for IB and IGCSE, by type of tutor.
The same rates as a table
| Level | Part-time / undergrad | Full-time | Ex-MOE or NIE-trained |
|---|---|---|---|
| IB Diploma (DP1-DP2) / IGCSE | S$45-60/hr | S$65-90/hr | S$90-130/hr |
The final rate is set when you choose a tutor. See all tuition rates for 2027.
Where IB Chemistry starts to slip
IB Chemistry asks students to link ideas across the Structure and Reactivity topics. These are the signs that the links are not yet there.
Mole calculations break down once gases, solutions and a limiting reactant appear in the same question.
Bonding is learned as separate models, so your child cannot explain why one substance conducts or melts so differently from another.
Enthalpy answers lose the sign or the unit, and calorimetry results are compared with accepted values without any reason given for the gap.
Organic mechanisms and redox steps are memorised, then forgotten as soon as the molecule changes.
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Paper 1B questions on experimental work are left until last, though they test the same skills as the scientific investigation.
Each of these has a clear fix, and the earlier in DP1 it starts, the less there is to redo before the final exams.
IB Chemistry Structure and Reactivity topics
The IB lists six topic groups, three under Structure and three under Reactivity. All students study them, with extra depth at HL. The tutor follows your school's teaching order.
Structure 1: Models of the particulate nature of matter
Particles, atoms and counting them, the base for every calculation in the course.
Topics covered
- Introduction to the particulate nature of matter
- The nuclear atom
- Electron configurations
- Counting particles by mass: the mole
- Ideal gases
Structure 2 and 3: Bonding, structure and classification
Three bonding models, how they explain materials, and how chemists classify elements and organic compounds.
Topics covered
- The ionic model
- The covalent model
- The metallic model
- From models to materials
- The periodic table: classification of elements
- Functional groups: classification of organic compounds
Reactivity 1 and 2: Energy, amount, rate and extent
What drives reactions, then how much, how fast and how far they go.
Topics covered
- Measuring enthalpy change
- Energy cycles in reactions
- Energy from fuels
- Entropy and spontaneity (HL only)
- How much? The amount of chemical change
- How fast? The rate of chemical change
- How far? The extent of chemical change
Reactivity 3: Mechanisms of chemical change
Four reaction types that cover acids, redox and organic chemistry.
Topics covered
- Proton transfer reactions
- Electron transfer reactions
- Electron sharing reactions
- Electron-pair sharing reactions
IB Chemistry SL and HL side by side
Taken from the IB Chemistry subject brief, first assessment 2025. Both levels share the topic list and the weighting, and HL goes further and sits longer papers.
| Feature | SL | HL |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended teaching hours | 150 in total | 240 in total |
| Syllabus content hours | 110 | 180 |
| Topics | All Structure and Reactivity subtopics at SL depth, except entropy and spontaneity | All subtopics in more depth, plus Reactivity 1.4, entropy and spontaneity |
| Paper 1: 1A multiple choice, 1B data-based and experimental work | 1.5 hours | 2 hours |
| Paper 2: short answer and extended response | 1.5 hours | 2.5 hours |
| Grade weighting | Paper 1 36%, Paper 2 44%, scientific investigation 20% | The same as SL |
| Experimental programme | 40 hours: 20 practical work, 10 collaborative project, 10 investigation | 60 hours: 40 practical work, 10 collaborative project, 10 investigation |
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IBO, DP Chemistry subject brief, first assessment 2025. Open the IB brief.
IBO, Chemistry in the Diploma Programme. Visit the IB page.
For IB Mathematics, which many IB Chemistry students take alongside, see our IB Math tuition page.
A sample two-year IB Chemistry tuition plan
Schools order the IB topics differently, so treat this as a shape rather than a schedule. The tutor fits it to your child's school calendar and exam session.
- DP1, earlyParticles, atoms and the moleStructure 1 in full: electron configurations, the mole and ideal gases, with a calculation in every lesson.
- DP1, middleBonding and classificationThe ionic, covalent and metallic models and how they explain properties, then the periodic table and functional groups.
- DP1, lateEnergy and rateMeasuring enthalpy change, energy cycles and fuels, then the rate of chemical change. HL adds entropy and spontaneity.
- DP1 into DP2Investigation skillsResearch questions, variables, uncertainties and evaluation, practised on small examples while the school runs its own investigation timeline.
- DP2, earlyEquilibrium and mechanismsThe extent of chemical change, then proton, electron and electron-pair transfer reactions, each linked back to bonding.
- DP2, before mocks and finalsTimed papersPaper 1A, 1B and Paper 2 under time, with each lost mark sorted by topic so revision goes where it is needed.
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The scientific investigation follows the school's deadlines and is supervised there. Tuition builds the skills around it and does not write any part of it.
Topic names and hours from the IBO DP Chemistry subject brief. Open the IB brief.
Before you book an IB Chemistry tutor
What DP parents ask before IB Chemistry lessons start.
| Question | For IB Chemistry |
|---|---|
| Which tutor suits IB Chemistry? | Look for a tutor who has taught the Structure and Reactivity course first assessed in 2025, not only the older topic-based syllabus, and who has HL experience if your child takes HL. Each profile lists the tutor's qualifications, experience and the curricula taught. |
| What does it cost? | IB Chemistry is in our IB Diploma and IGCSE band: S$45 to S$60 an hour with an undergraduate tutor, S$65 to S$90 with a full-time tutor and S$90 to S$130 with an ex-MOE teacher. A month of four 1.5-hour IB Chemistry lessons with a full-time tutor comes to S$390 to S$540. |
| How does it start? | Tell us your child's school, DP1 or DP2, SL or HL, and the topics that feel shakiest. We send 2 to 4 tutor profiles within 16 hours. The first lesson is a paid trial at the tutor's hourly rate. |
| What are the terms? | No contract and no minimum, so lessons can be weekly through DP1 and more frequent before the final exams. Cancel or move a lesson at least 24 hours ahead, or it is charged. If the fit is wrong, we re-match you free. |
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IB Chemistry Tuition: a guide for parents
IB Diploma Chemistry was redesigned for students first assessed in 2025. The syllabus is now built on two organising concepts, Structure and Reactivity. Structure covers the particulate nature of matter, models of bonding and structure, and the classification of matter. Reactivity asks what drives chemical reactions, how much, how fast and how far they go, and what mechanisms they follow. The IB recommends 150 teaching hours at SL and 240 at HL, of which 110 and 180 are syllabus content. HL students go deeper in many subtopics and also study entropy and spontaneity, which is HL only. The remaining hours form an experimental programme of practical work, a collaborative sciences project and an individual scientific investigation.
Read the full guide
IB Chemistry tuition works when it ties the two concepts together. A student who understands electron configurations and bonding finds acids, redox and organic mechanisms far easier, because the Reactivity 3 reactions are explained with the Structure models. A tutor maps your child's school order onto the IB topic list, secures the mole and energetics early, and practises the Paper 1B questions, where students meet unfamiliar data and questions on experimental work. For the scientific investigation, the tutor coaches the inquiry skills the IB names: exploring and designing, collecting and processing data, and concluding and evaluating.
A classic IB Chemistry calculation, close to real practical work: burning 0.500 g of ethanol heats 100 g of water from 21.0 °C to 33.5 °C. Find the enthalpy change of combustion. The heat absorbed is q = mcΔT = 100 × 4.18 × 12.5 = 5,225 J, or 5.225 kJ. The amount of ethanol is 0.500 ÷ 46.08 = 0.01085 mol, so ΔH = -5.225 ÷ 0.01085, about -482 kJ mol⁻¹.
The accepted value is close to -1,367 kJ mol⁻¹, so the student must explain the gap: heat lost to the surroundings and incomplete combustion. Students often drop the negative sign or stop at q. A tutor makes the evaluation part of every answer, because concluding and evaluating is the habit the scientific investigation rewards.
Official syllabus: MOE Singapore · SEAB Singapore
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IB Chemistry Tuition: frequently asked questions
Is IB Chemistry SL or HL right for my child?
HL works through the same topic list as SL in more depth, plus entropy and spontaneity, with 240 recommended teaching hours against 150. The HL exams are longer: Paper 1 is 2 hours instead of 1.5, and Paper 2 is 2.5 hours instead of 1.5. If your child is considering medicine, chemistry or engineering, check each university's subject requirements before the level is fixed.
How is IB Chemistry assessed?
External exams give 80% of the grade. Paper 1 combines multiple-choice questions (1A) with data-based questions and questions on experimental work (1B), for 36%. Paper 2 has short-answer and extended-response questions, for 44%. The internal assessment, worth 20%, is an open-ended scientific investigation built on a research question your child formulates, reported in no more than 3,000 words.
What is the collaborative sciences project?
It is part of the experimental programme, with 10 recommended hours at both SL and HL. Students work together in an interdisciplinary context, beyond chemistry alone, which develops scientific communication. It sits alongside practical work, 20 hours at SL or 40 at HL, and 10 hours for the scientific investigation.
Can a tutor help with the IB Chemistry investigation?
A tutor can teach the skills behind it: narrowing a research question, controlling variables, processing data with uncertainties, and evaluating a method honestly. Practice happens on separate examples, so the investigation your child submits remains their own work under the school's supervision. Ask any tutor how they handle this before lessons start.
My child is new to IB after O-Level or IGCSE. Where do we start?
Start with the mole and with bonding. The mole underpins the amount, rate and extent topics, and the bonding models underpin almost everything else. A tutor checks both in the first lessons with short diagnostic questions, then follows the school's order. Students arriving from another syllabus also need practice with IB-style data-based questions, which carry real weight in Paper 1B.
How much does IB Chemistry Tuition Singapore cost?
Rates run S$45 to S$130 an hour, depending on the tutor: undergraduate tutors at the lower end, ex-MOE teachers at the upper end. You pay only the hourly rate on your tutor's shortlist.
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