Primary 1 Tuition by subject
Each subject has its own page, with that year's syllabus, what tends to go wrong and the tutor rates.
Tuition Service · Singapore
Primary 1 Tuition Singapore
Home and online tuition for P1 English, Mother Tongue and Maths, in the year school begins.
Primary 1 tuition in Singapore for English, Mother Tongue and Maths, at home or online. Tutor profiles in 16 hours, first lesson a paid trial.
Get matched with a tutor
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$25 to S$80/hr
- Your shortlist
- 2 to 4 tutors in 16h
- Wrong fit?
- Free re-match
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Primary 1 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 or NIE-trained |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
The final rate is set when you choose a tutor. See all tuition rates for 2027.
Signs a P1 child could use some help
With no marks in P1, the clues come from homework, reading time and the teacher's comments.
Reading aloud is slow, and new words are guessed from the first letter instead of sounded out.
Weekly spelling lists in English or Mother Tongue come home, and the same words are wrong again on the next list.
Fingers are still the only way to add, so a sum like 8 + 7 takes a long time.
Mother Tongue homework needs a parent to explain every line, because the language is rarely spoken at home.
1 more
Your child is tired or upset at homework time, and the teacher's notes mention focus or confidence rather than a subject.
None of these appear as a mark in P1, so they are easy to miss until P3, when weighted assessments begin.
The grade, explained
How PSLE Achievement Levels work
Each subject gets an AL from 1 (best) to 8. The four ALs add up to the PSLE score, from 4 to 32.
- AL190 and above
- AL285 to 89
- AL380 to 84
- AL475 to 79
- AL565 to 74
- AL645 to 64
- AL720 to 44
- AL8Below 20
Source: MOE PSLE scoring.
What P1 tuition can cover
A P1 tutor follows the school's pace in each subject and keeps lessons short and active. These are the areas families usually book.
English: sounds, reading and first sentences
The MOE English syllabus puts phonemic awareness, phonics and early literacy at the start of P1, as the base for reading fluency later.
Topics covered
- Letter sounds and blending them into words
- Reading aloud from short books
- Weekly spelling words
- Writing a sentence with a capital letter and full stop
- Talking about a picture or a story
Mother Tongue: listening and speaking first
For a child who hears little of the language at home, P1 support is mainly about understanding and answering, then recognising the words taught in class.
Topics covered
- Everyday words for family, school and food
- Answering simple questions aloud
- Reading the textbook passage with the tutor
- Writing the characters or words taught that week
- Dictation practice before the school's spelling day
Maths: number sense to 100
The 2021 MOE Maths syllabus for P1 covers numbers to 100, adding and subtracting within 100, first multiplying and dividing, money, length, time and shapes.
Topics covered
- Counting and place value in tens and ones
- Adding and subtracting within 100
- Multiplying within 40 and dividing within 20
- Counting money in cents and dollars
- Length in centimetres and telling time to 5 minutes
- 2D shapes and picture graphs
Habits for the school year
Six year olds also need simple routines that make school work less of a battle.
Topics covered
- A short homework routine at the same time each day
- Working on one task for 15 to 20 minutes
- Asking for help when stuck
- Reading together every day
Primary 1 in 2027 at a glance
What your child takes in P1 and how the school reports it, from MOE's curriculum pages and syllabuses.
The 2027 terms for P1 are 4 Jan to 12 Mar, 22 Mar to 28 May, 28 Jun to 3 Sep and 13 Sep to 19 Nov. Without marks, the weekly homework and the teacher's comments are your clearest guide to how the year is going.
| Subject | In P1 | How progress is reported |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | Taught from P1. Phonics and early reading come first. | Qualitative descriptors, no marks |
| Mother Tongue Language | Taught from P1 as a second language. | Qualitative descriptors, no marks |
| Mathematics | Taught from P1, starting with numbers to 100. | Qualitative descriptors, no marks |
| Science | Not taught yet. The syllabus covers P3 to P6. | Not applicable in P1 |
| Art, music, social studies and others | Part of the P1 timetable. | No exams at P1 |
MOE, the primary curriculum. Read the MOE page.
MOE on no weighted assessments in P1 and P2. Read the MOE release.
MOE's 2021 Maths syllabus, with P1 content by level. Open the Maths syllabus.
MOE school terms for 2027. See the 2027 calendar.
Before you book a P1 tutor
What parents of six year olds usually ask before the first lesson.
| Question | For Primary 1 |
|---|---|
| Which tutor suits P1? | Warmth and patience matter more than seniority. An undergraduate tutor who has taught young children suits most P1 needs. A full-time tutor or an ex-MOE teacher suits a child who is far behind in reading or very anxious. Each profile on the shortlist shows the tutor's qualifications and experience with lower primary. |
| What does it cost? | Each P1 subject is charged at Lower Primary rates: S$25 to S$35 an hour with an undergraduate tutor, S$35 to S$45 with a full-time tutor and S$50 to S$70 with an ex-MOE teacher. Two subjects at one hour each a week, with an undergraduate tutor, come to S$200 to S$280 for eight lessons over four weeks. |
| How does it start? | Tell us your child's school, the subject that worries you and what homework time looks like. 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 number of lessons. 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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Primary 1 Tuition: a guide for parents
In Primary 1 your child takes English, a Mother Tongue Language and Maths as the main academic subjects, alongside subjects such as art, music and social studies. Science does not begin until P3. Since 2019 there have been no weighted assessments and no exams in P1, and teachers describe progress in words rather than marks. In 2027 the school year starts on 4 January for P1, one day before the other levels return. Because nothing is graded, many parents only learn that their child is finding school hard when a teacher mentions it, or when homework turns into a nightly struggle at the dining table.
Read the full guide
Most P1 families who look for help want it in one subject, usually the language spoken least at home. A child from an English-speaking home may need Chinese, Malay or Tamil support, and the reverse is just as common. Maths help at this age is about number sense: counting and place value to 100, adding and subtracting within 100, and the first ideas of multiplying and sharing. Good P1 lessons are short, about an hour, and use reading aloud, games and objects to count rather than long worksheets. The subject pages below go into each syllabus. This page is about planning the whole first year.
Take a P1 sum such as 8 + 7. Many six year olds count on from 8 on their fingers and land on 14 or 16 because they count the 8 again or skip a finger. The P1 syllabus asks for mental addition within 20, so a tutor teaches making ten instead. Your child breaks 7 into 2 and 5, adds the 2 to the 8 to make 10, then adds the 5 to get 15.
The tutor uses ten-frames or counters first, then the same idea with no objects, then a few sums a day until it is quick. Making ten is worth the time in P1 because the same idea returns when your child adds bigger numbers in P2 and P3.
Official syllabus: MOE Singapore · SEAB Singapore
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Primary 1 Tuition: frequently asked questions
Does my child need tuition in Primary 1?
Many P1 children do not. School, reading at home and a little practice are often enough. Tuition helps when one subject is clearly harder than the others, most often the Mother Tongue for a child from an English-speaking home, or reading for a child who is not yet blending sounds. One weekly lesson in that subject is a sensible start.
How much does Primary 1 tuition cost?
P1 is in our Lower Primary rate band: S$25 to S$35 an hour with an undergraduate tutor, S$35 to S$45 with a full-time tutor and S$50 to S$70 with an ex-MOE teacher. One 1-hour lesson a week with an undergraduate tutor comes to S$100 to S$140 over four weeks.
Are there exams in Primary 1?
No. MOE removed weighted assessments and examinations for P1 and P2 from 2019, and mid-year exams were removed at all remaining levels by 2023. Teachers use class activities and short checks, and report learning with qualitative descriptors instead of marks. Ask the teacher what those descriptors mean for your child, since they are the main written feedback you get this year.
Should we start with one subject or two in P1?
Start with one. A six year old already has a full school day, and two extra lessons a week can feel like more school. Pick the subject that causes the most tears at homework time. If a second subject becomes a worry later in the year, add it then, ideally with the same tutor so the routine stays familiar.
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