History Tuition Singapore
Pure History and the Humanities History elective, for the 2026 O-Level and the 2027 SEC
1-to-1 History tuition in Singapore: source-based case studies, 10-mark essays and the units from colonial Southeast Asia to the Cold War, for O-Level, SEC and JC.
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No contract and no minimum number of lessons. The first lesson is a paid trial at the tutor's rate. If the fit is wrong, we find another tutor at no charge. Cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours ahead, or that lesson is charged.
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- Typical rate
- S$25 to S$130/hr
- Your shortlist
- 3 to 12 tutors in 16h
- Wrong fit?
- Free re-match
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History Tuition rates in Singapore
Hourly rates by level. Each bar runs from a part-time tutor to an ex-MOE teacher.
Rates by type of tutor, as a table
| Level | Part-time / undergrad | Full-time | Ex-MOE teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Primary (P1-P4) | S$25-35/hr | S$35-45/hr | S$50-70/hr |
| Upper Primary / PSLE (P5-P6) | S$30-40/hr | S$40-55/hr | S$60-80/hr |
| Lower Secondary (Sec 1-2) | S$30-45/hr | S$45-60/hr | S$60-85/hr |
| Upper Secondary / O-Level (Sec 3-4) | S$35-45/hr | S$45-65/hr | S$65-95/hr |
| Junior College / A-Level (JC1-JC2) | S$45-60/hr | S$65-90/hr | S$90-130/hr |
| 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 History marks are lost
History rewards skills as much as content. These are the patterns tutors see most in upper secondary History.
Source answers summarise what a source says instead of inferring what it suggests, with no quoted detail as evidence.
Reliability is judged from the provenance alone, without checking the source against other sources or known facts.
Comparison questions list the two sources separately instead of matching a point of similarity or difference.
The fifth source question, which uses all the sources, is rushed, though it needs a balanced answer and a judgement.
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Essays describe events in order without explaining how each factor caused the outcome or weighing which mattered more.
Each of these changes with regular practice on real question types and careful feedback on how they are marked.
The G3 History units, as a tutor teaches them
The SEAB syllabus splits the course across two papers. Source-based case studies are set only on the units marked as prescribed, and essays on any other unit. The tutor follows the order your child's school uses.
European control in Southeast Asia
Paper 1. British Malaya is compulsory and prescribed for the case study, then Dutch Indonesia or French Vietnam.
Topics covered
- British intervention in Perak and the Residential System
- The Federated and Unfederated Malay States
- Tin, rubber and an export-oriented economy
- Plural societies and Western-educated elites
- Local responses to colonial rule
After World War I and the rise of authoritarian regimes
Paper 1. Nazi Germany and the outbreak of World War II in Europe are prescribed for the case study.
Topics covered
- The Paris Peace Conference and its impact on Europe in the 1920s
- Case study of Nazi Germany
- Case study of Militarist Japan, 1920s to 1930s
- The outbreak of World War II in Europe
- The outbreak of World War II in the Asia-Pacific
The Cold War
Paper 2. The Cold War in Europe and the Korean War are prescribed for the case study.
Topics covered
- Reasons for the end of World War II
- Origins and development of the Cold War in Europe
- The Korean War, 1950 to 1953
- The Vietnam War, 1954 to 1975
- Decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War
Decolonisation in Southeast Asia
Paper 2. British Malaya, 1945 to 1957, is compulsory and prescribed, then Dutch Indonesia or French Vietnam.
Topics covered
- British Malaya, 1945 to 1957
- Dutch Indonesia, 1945 to 1949
- French Vietnam, 1945 to 1954
- Nationalism and the end of colonial rule
- Newly independent nations in Southeast Asia
History paper formats for 2026 and 2027
These are the formats printed in the SEAB syllabuses. O-Level 2174 and SEC G3 K330 share them. Each paper is taken at a separate sitting, and answers are typed in a digital answer booklet.
No source is longer than 150 words. The first four case study questions test specific sources, and the fifth uses all of them to reach a judgement. Essays are never set on the issue tested in that year's case study, and both are marked with a Levels of Response Mark Scheme.
| Paper | Format |
|---|---|
| G3 Pure History, Paper 1 (2174 or K330) | 1 h 50 min, 50 marks, 50%. European control in Southeast Asia and challenges to European dominance, 1870s to 1942. Section A: source-based case study, up to 6 sources, Q1(a) to (e), 30 marks. Section B: two of three essays, 10 marks each |
| G3 Pure History, Paper 2 (2174 or K330) | 1 h 50 min, 50 marks, 50%. The Cold War and decolonisation in Southeast Asia, 1940s to 1991. The same sections and marks as Paper 1 |
| G2 Pure History from 2027 (K227) | Two papers of 1 h 50 min and 50 marks. Up to 5 sources, and essays that ask students to analyse and explain |
| G3 Humanities, History elective (2261 or K336) | 1 h 50 min, 50 marks, 50% of Humanities. The Making of the 20th Century Modern World, 1910s to 1991. A 30-mark case study and two 10-mark essays |
| H2 History (9174) | Two papers of 3 h and 100 marks, each a source-based case study for 40 marks and two 30-mark essays |
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SEAB, 2174 History syllabus for 2026. Open the 2174 PDF.
SEAB, K330 G3 History syllabus for 2027. Open the K330 PDF.
SEAB, K227 G2 History syllabus for 2027. Open the K227 PDF.
SEAB, K336 G3 Humanities (Social Studies, History) for 2027. Open the K336 PDF.
SEAB, H2 History 9174 for 2027. Open the 9174 PDF.
SEAB, H1 History 8838 for 2027. Open the 8838 PDF.
SEAB, the 2027 A-Level list with H1, H2 and H3 History. See the A-Level list.
Before you book a History tutor
What parents ask before Sec 3 or Sec 4 History lessons start.
| Question | For secondary History |
|---|---|
| Which tutor suits History? | Choose a tutor who has taught the current SEAB units and marks source answers and essays against levels. Say whether your child takes Pure History or the Humanities elective, at G2 or G3, and whether the school chose Dutch Indonesia or French Vietnam. You see every tutor's qualifications, experience and subjects on the profile before choosing. |
| What does it cost? | History in Sec 3 and Sec 4 is in the Upper Secondary band: S$35 to S$45 an hour with an undergraduate tutor, S$45 to S$65 with a full-time tutor and S$65 to S$95 with an ex-MOE teacher. A month of weekly 1.5-hour lessons with a full-time tutor comes to S$270 to S$390. |
| How does it start? | Tell us the school, the level, Pure or Humanities History, and the last test result. We send 3 to 12 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 share the week with other subjects and step up before the 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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History Tuition: a guide for parents
Upper secondary History comes in two forms. Pure History is a full subject, examined in 2026 as O-Level 2174 and from 2027 as SEC G3 History K330 or G2 K227. The History elective sits inside Combined Humanities, paired with Social Studies, examined in 2026 as O-Level 2261 and from 2027 as SEC G3 K336 or G2 K230. SEAB marks History as a subject with e-Examination: candidates get the question paper in hard copy and type their answers in a digital answer booklet. MOE lets students in Full SBB schools take History at a more demanding level from Secondary Two.
Read the full guide
Pure History is two papers of 1 hour 50 minutes. Paper 1 covers the extension of European control in Southeast Asia and the road to World War II, 1870s to 1942. Paper 2 covers the Cold War and decolonisation in Southeast Asia, 1940s to 1991. Each paper is a 30-mark source-based case study and two 10-mark essays chosen from three. A History tutor teaches the content unit by unit, then the skills the papers reward: inferring from a source, comparing two sources, testing reliability and utility, and writing essays that explain causes and reach a judgement. Lessons are 1-to-1 at home or online, with typed timed practice to match the digital answer booklet.
Take an essay of the kind the syllabus describes: 'The weakness of the Weimar Republic was the main reason for Hitler's rise to power. How far do you agree?' Many students describe the Depression, the Nazi party and Hitler's speeches in order and stop. That narrates events but does not explain or weigh them. A tutor teaches a fixed shape. First, the stated factor, explained with specific evidence and linked to the outcome. Next, one other factor, such as the economic crisis after 1929, explained the same way.
Then a judgement on which mattered more and why, for example that the crisis turned existing weakness into an opening. The syllabus asks candidates to analyse, evaluate and make judgement, so this shape is what the marker looks for.
Official syllabus: MOE Singapore · SEAB Singapore
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History Tuition: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Pure History and Combined Humanities History?
Pure History is a full subject with two papers covering 1870s to 1991, including colonial Southeast Asia and decolonisation. The History elective is one 1 hour 50 minute paper inside Combined Humanities, alongside a Social Studies paper. It covers The Making of the 20th Century Modern World, 1910s to 1991: after World War I, Nazi Germany and Militarist Japan, World War II and the Cold War. Both use a 30-mark source-based case study and two 10-mark essays.
Does the SEC change History?
The codes change. SEAB lists G3 History K330 for 2027 against 2174 for 2026, and the two syllabuses print the same papers and units. G2 History K227 keeps the same two papers, with at most 5 sources in the case study instead of 6, and essays that ask students to analyse and explain rather than also evaluate and judge.
Is the History exam typed?
Yes. SEAB marks History as a subject with e-Examination. Candidates receive the question paper in hard copy and type their responses in a digital answer booklet, for both the 2026 O-Level and the 2027 SEC. Typed timed practice before the exam helps a student who writes faster by hand.
Is there History after Sec 4?
Yes. SEAB's 2027 A-Level list has H1 History 8838, H2 9174 and H3 9823. H2 is two 3-hour papers, The Changing International Order (1945 to 2000) and Developments in Southeast Asia (Independence to 2000), each with a source-based case study and two essays. H1 is one 3-hour paper on the Cold War. JC History is in our JC rate 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.
How much does History tuition cost?
History in Sec 3 and Sec 4 is in our Upper Secondary band. Typical hourly rates are S$35 to S$45 for an undergraduate tutor, S$45 to S$65 for a full-time tutor and S$65 to S$95 for an ex-MOE teacher. Many families book one 1.5-hour lesson a week, at home or online.
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