IB Economics Tuition Singapore
SL and HL Economics for the course first assessed in 2022
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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
- Your shortlist
- 2 to 4 tutors in 16h
- Wrong fit?
- Free re-match
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IB Economics 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 Economics marks slip
IB Economics needs theory, diagrams and real examples in the same answer. These are the gaps that show up most in DP1 and DP2.
Diagrams are drawn correctly but never explained in the text, so they carry little of the argument.
Evaluation is a single line at the end instead of a weighed judgement supported by real-world examples.
Paper 2 answers ignore the data, or quote it without using it.
HL students lose time on the quantitative parts of Paper 3, then rush the policy recommendation.
1 more
Portfolio commentaries pick extracts that do not fit the chosen unit or key concept.
Each of these has a technique behind it that a tutor can teach and your child can practise.
The IB Economics units
SL and HL share four units, and HL adds extension topics within them. The tutor follows your school's order.
Units 1 and 2: Introduction and microeconomics
How economists think, then how markets work and why they fail.
Topics covered
- What economics is and how economists approach the world
- Demand, supply and competitive market equilibrium
- Elasticity of demand and supply
- Critique of the maximising behaviour of consumers and producers
- Role of government in microeconomics
- Market failure: externalities, public goods, asymmetric information and market power
- The market's inability to achieve equity
Unit 3: Macroeconomics
Measuring the economy, its objectives and the policies used to reach them.
Topics covered
- Measuring economic activity and its variations
- Aggregate demand and aggregate supply
- Macroeconomic objectives
- Economics of inequality and poverty
- Monetary policy and fiscal policy
- Supply-side policies
Unit 4: The global economy
Trade, exchange rates and development.
Topics covered
- Benefits of international trade and types of trade protection
- Economic integration
- Exchange rates and the balance of payments
- Sustainable development and measuring development
- Barriers to growth and development, and strategies for both
Internal assessment: the portfolio
Three commentaries that apply the course to real news.
Topics covered
- Three commentaries on published news media extracts
- Each on a different unit, excluding the introductory unit
- Each analysed through a different key concept
- About 20 recommended hours in total
- Fitting a diagram and a concept to a real situation
IB Economics SL and HL assessment
From the IB subject briefs for the course first assessed in 2022. HL adds Paper 3, which changes every weighting.
| Component | SL | HL |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: extended response | 1 h 15 min, 30% | 1 h 15 min, 20% |
| Paper 2: data response | 1 h 45 min, 40% | 1 h 45 min, 30% |
| Paper 3: policy paper | Not taken | 1 h 45 min, 30% |
| Internal assessment: portfolio of three commentaries | 30% | 20% |
| Total exam time | 3 hours | 4 hours 45 minutes |
| Recommended teaching hours | 150 | 240 |
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IBO, DP Economics SL subject brief, first assessments 2022. Open the SL brief.
IBO, DP Economics HL subject brief, first assessments 2022. Open the HL brief.
IB Economics HL uses quantitative techniques, and for IB Mathematics see our IB Math tuition page.
Before you book an IB Economics tutor
What DP parents ask before IB Economics lessons start.
| Question | For IB Economics |
|---|---|
| Which tutor suits IB Economics? | Look for a tutor who has taught the course first assessed in 2022, including HL Paper 3 if your child takes HL, and who knows the portfolio requirements. Profiles show each tutor's qualifications, experience and the IB subjects they have taught. |
| What does it cost? | IB Economics sits 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. Four 1.5-hour IB Economics lessons with a full-time tutor come to S$390 to S$540. |
| How does it start? | Tell us your child's school, DP year, SL or HL, and whether exams or the portfolio worry you more. 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 added in the run-up to mocks and finals. 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 Economics Tuition: a guide for parents
IB Diploma Economics, first assessed in 2022, is taught in four units: introduction to economics, microeconomics, macroeconomics and the global economy. Running through them are nine key concepts: scarcity, choice, efficiency, equity, economic well-being, sustainability, change, interdependence and intervention. Students apply theory to real-world issues using empirical data. SL and HL share the common syllabus, and HL adds extension topics and a third exam, Paper 3, a policy paper in which students recommend a government response using data. Both levels complete an internal assessment portfolio of three commentaries on news extracts.
Read the full guide
IB Economics tuition works on three kinds of writing. Paper 1 is extended response, where your child explains theory with a diagram and then evaluates with real-world examples. Paper 2 is data response, built around text and figures. At HL, Paper 3 asks your child to use data, including quantitative techniques, to recommend a policy. Alongside the exams, the portfolio needs three commentaries, each on a different unit and each analysed through a different key concept. A tutor teaches commentary technique on practice extracts, so the portfolio your child submits stays their own work.
A data response style IB Economics task: a cinema raises its ticket price from $10 to $12, and weekly tickets sold fall from 1,000 to 900. Calculate the price elasticity of demand and comment on revenue. The percentage change in quantity is -10% and in price +20%, so PED = -10 ÷ 20 = -0.5, which is price inelastic. Revenue rises from $10,000 to $10,800. Students often invert the formula or forget that PED is negative. A tutor then pushes for the evaluation step: would the cinema see the same response over a year, as substitutes such as streaming become more attractive? That move from a calculation to a judgement is what the higher mark bands look for.
Official syllabus: MOE Singapore · SEAB Singapore
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IB Economics Tuition: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SL and HL IB Economics?
Both levels study the same four units, and HL adds extension topics within them. HL also sits a third exam, a 1 hour 45 minute policy paper worth 30%, so the weightings shift: at SL the portfolio is 30% of the grade, at HL it is 20%. HL exams total 4 hours 45 minutes, against 3 hours at SL.
What do the IB Economics papers involve?
Paper 1, 1 hour 15 minutes, is an extended response paper. Paper 2, 1 hour 45 minutes, is a data response paper. At HL, Paper 3, also 1 hour 45 minutes, is a policy paper in which students use data to recommend a policy. Every paper draws on all units of the syllabus. At SL, Papers 1 and 2 count for 30% and 40%. At HL, they count for 20% and 30%.
How can a tutor help with the IB Economics portfolio?
The portfolio is three commentaries, each based on a published news extract, a different syllabus unit and a different key concept. A tutor can teach how to choose an extract that suits a unit, link it to one key concept, and apply a diagram to a real situation, using practice extracts. The commentaries your child submits must be their own work, under the school's supervision.
My child has never studied economics. Is that a problem?
No. The course opens with an introductory unit on what economics is and how economists approach the world, and builds from there. Early work on demand, supply and elasticity is where a tutor makes the biggest difference, because later units rely on those diagrams. Comfort with graphs and a habit of reading the news also help.
How much does IB Economics 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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