Tamil Tuition Singapore
Tamil Language from Primary 1 to H1 Tamil, matched to each SEAB paper
1-to-1 Tamil home tuition or online lessons from P1 to JC. Katturai, comprehension, oral and listening, taught to the PSLE, SEC and H1 Tamil papers.
Syllabus and exam facts on this page are from official MOE, SEAB, IBO or Cambridge documents, checked . How we write our pages
Request a Tamil 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$130/hr
- Your shortlist
- 2 to 4 tutors in 16h
- Wrong fit?
- Free re-match
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Tamil 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 |
| 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.
Signs your child needs help with Tamil
Tamil gaps often hide behind fluent conversation at home, or behind good written marks with a weak oral.
Spoken forms creep into written work, so a katturai reads like a chat rather than the formal Tamil the marker expects.
Reading aloud stalls on long words, which costs marks in the PSLE oral, where reading aloud is worth 10% on its own.
In the conversation part of the oral, your child answers in a few words and runs out of things to say about the video.
Comprehension answers copy whole lines from the passage instead of answering the question in your child's own words.
1 more
In Sec 3 or 4, the shorter writing task in Paper 1 is rushed, although it is worth 10% of the G3 Tamil grade.
None of these is unusual, and each one gets better with a tutor who speaks and corrects in Tamil every lesson.
Tamil lessons from P1 to JC
The tutor works from the school scheme of work and the SEAB paper at each stage. The areas below show what each stage adds.
P1 to P4: the base years
Letters, reading and spoken confidence. P1 and P2 have had no weighted assessments or exams since 2019, so these years are for building habits.
Topics covered
- Reading the Tamil script fluently
- Spelling and sound patterns
- Vocabulary for school, home and festivals
- Short sentences in written Tamil
- Retelling a picture story aloud
- Short guided compositions
P5 and P6: PSLE Tamil
Lessons follow PSLE Tamil 0007, or the Higher (0017) or Foundation (0027) paper if your child takes that level.
Topics covered
- Paper 1 katturai of at least 100 words in 50 minutes
- A picture series of six frames, the last one a question mark
- Paper 2 language use and comprehension, 1 hour 40 minutes
- Reading aloud for the oral
- Conversation with the examiner after a 50 to 55 second video
- Listening comprehension with ten multiple-choice questions
Secondary school and SEC Tamil
G3 Tamil K322 and Higher Tamil K357 from 2027, or the G2 and G1 Tamil papers.
Topics covered
- Paper 1: a shorter writing task and a longer composition in 2 hours
- Paper 2 language use and comprehension in 1 hour 30 minutes
- Reading aloud and conversation for the oral
- Listening comprehension
- Higher Tamil Paper 2 in 1 hour 45 minutes
- Higher Tamil oral presentation and discussion
JC: H1 Tamil
Two written parts of 1 hour 30 minutes each, then an oral and listening paper.
Topics covered
- Paper 1 Part 1 composition, worth 30%
- Paper 1 Part 2 language use and comprehension, worth 40%
- Oral, worth 25%
- Listening comprehension, worth 5%
- Formal written Tamil for longer essays
Tamil exams and codes, PSLE to A-Level
Every Tamil exam has its own SEAB code and weighting. Use this table to check which paper your child is preparing for, then ask the tutor to plan around it.
| Exam | Code | Papers and weighting |
|---|---|---|
| PSLE Tamil (Standard) | 0007 | Paper 1 composition, 50 minutes, 20%. Paper 2 language use and comprehension, 1 hour 40 minutes, 45%. Paper 3 oral 25% and listening 10%. |
| PSLE Higher Tamil | 0017 | Paper 1 composition, 50 minutes, 40%. Paper 2 language use and comprehension, 1 hour 20 minutes, 60%. |
| PSLE Foundation Tamil | 0027 | Paper 1 written paper, 15%. Paper 2 oral, 55%. Paper 3 listening, 30%. |
| SEC G3 Tamil (2027) | K322, was O-Level 1157 | Paper 1 two writing tasks, 2 hours, 30%. Paper 2 language use and comprehension, 1 hour 30 minutes, 35%. Paper 3 oral 25% and listening 10%. |
| SEC G3 Higher Tamil (2027) | K357, was O-Level 1147 | Paper 1 two writing tasks, 2 hours, 40%. Paper 2 language use and comprehension, 1 hour 45 minutes, 40%. Paper 3 oral of 10 to 15 minutes, 20%. |
| SEC G2 Tamil (2027) | K222, was 1198 | Set out in the SEAB K222 syllabus. |
| SEC G1 Tamil (2027) | K122, was 1204 | Set out in the SEAB K122 syllabus. |
| A-Level H1 Tamil | 8657 | Paper 1 in two parts of 1 hour 30 minutes, 30% and 40%. Paper 2 oral 25% and listening 5%. |
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Standard, Higher and Foundation Tamil at PSLE, side by side
The three PSLE Tamil levels weight speaking and writing very differently, so the tutor's plan changes with the level.
| Component | Standard (0007) | Higher (0017) | Foundation (0027) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composition | 40 marks, 20% | 40 marks, 40% | Not set |
| Written language and comprehension | 90 marks, 45% | 60 marks, 60% | 15 marks, 15% |
| Reading aloud | 20 marks, 10% | Not set | 15 marks, 15% |
| Conversation | 30 marks, 15% | Not set | 40 marks, 40% |
| Listening | 20 marks, 10% | Not set | 30 marks, 30% |
SEAB, PSLE Tamil Language (0007) format. Open the 0007 PDF.
SEAB, PSLE Higher Tamil (0017) format. Open the 0017 PDF.
SEAB, PSLE Foundation Tamil (0027) format. Open the 0027 PDF.
SEAB, SEC G3 Tamil (K322) syllabus for 2027. Open K322.
SEAB, SEC G3 Higher Tamil (K357) syllabus for 2027. Open K357.
SEAB, G1 Tamil code for 2027. See the G1 list.
SEAB, H1 Tamil (8657) and the other A-Level Tamil codes. See the A-Level list.
SEAB, how the SEC replaces the O-Level and N-Level. Read the SEC page.
Before you book a Tamil tutor
The questions Tamil families ask most before the first lesson.
| Question | For Tamil Language |
|---|---|
| Which tutor suits my child? | Look for a tutor who teaches your child's level and corrects spoken Tamil into the formal written form. For a Foundation Tamil child, the oral matters most, so a patient, chatty tutor helps. Every profile we send lists qualifications, experience and the levels the tutor has taught. |
| What does it cost? | Hourly rates for P1 to P4 are S$25 to S$35 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. For P5 and P6 they are S$30 to S$40, S$40 to S$55 and S$60 to S$80. Secondary rates run from S$30 to S$45 (Sec 1 and 2, undergraduate) to S$65 to S$95 (Sec 3 and 4, ex-MOE), with full-time tutors at S$45 to S$60 for Sec 1 and 2 and S$45 to S$65 for Sec 3 and 4. Four 1.5-hour Sec 3 or 4 lessons with a full-time tutor come to S$270 to S$390. |
| How does it start? | Send us the level, the Tamil level your child takes and whether you want home or online lessons. 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 stop after the exam and restart the next term. 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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Tamil Tuition: a guide for parents
Tamil Language is one of Singapore's Mother Tongue subjects, taught from Primary 1 and examined at the PSLE, at the end of secondary school and in JC as H1 Tamil. Written Tamil is more formal than the Tamil most children hear at home, so a child who chats easily with grandparents can still lose marks for colloquial words in a composition. The other common gap is the reverse: children from English-speaking homes read and write well enough but freeze in the oral. In PSLE Tamil (0007), the oral and listening tests together carry 35% of the marks, so spoken Tamil needs as much regular practice as written Tamil.
Read the full guide
Our Tamil tutors teach to the MOE syllabus and the SEAB format at your child's exact level. In P5 and P6 that means Standard, Higher or Foundation Tamil. In secondary school it means G1, G2, G3 or Higher Tamil, and from 2027 the papers sit under the new SEC. A lesson usually pairs one piece of writing, such as a katturai (composition), with comprehension practice and a spoken segment modelled on the oral. Tamil home tuition and online lessons are both one to one. We send 2 to 4 tutor profiles on WhatsApp within 16 hours, each showing qualifications, experience and the hourly rate, and you pick the tutor. Results depend on each child and on steady practice.
Take the conversation part of the PSLE Tamil oral, worth 30 marks. Your child watches a video of 50 to 55 seconds, say of students helping an elderly neighbour carry groceries, and the examiner asks what they think of it. A common answer is one sentence: the students are kind. A tutor teaches a simple three-step reply instead. First, say what happened in the video in two or three sentences. Second, give an opinion with a reason, such as why helping neighbours matters in a block of flats.
Third, add a short story from your own life, like a time your family helped someone. The tutor plays a similar clip each week, asks follow-up questions in Tamil, and notes any colloquial words to replace with the formal form. After a few weeks most children speak for longer without being prompted, though every child moves at a different pace.
Official syllabus: MOE Singapore · SEAB Singapore
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Tamil Tuition: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Standard, Higher and Foundation Tamil at PSLE?
Standard Tamil (0007) has a composition paper worth 20%, a language use and comprehension paper worth 45%, and oral and listening worth 35%. Higher Tamil (0017) has two written papers only, worth 40% and 60%. Foundation Tamil (0027) puts most weight on speaking and listening: a written paper is 15%, the oral 55% and listening 30%. Foundation grades A to C count as AL6 to AL8 for Sec 1 posting.
Who can take Higher Tamil in secondary school?
Under MOE's rules, a student qualifies with AL1 or AL2 in PSLE Tamil, or a Distinction or Merit in PSLE Higher Tamil. A secondary school may still offer Higher Tamil to a student outside these results if it judges the student has exceptional ability in Tamil and can cope without other subjects suffering.
Does my Sec 3 child sit O-Level Tamil or SEC Tamil?
From 2027, SEAB combines the O-Level and N-Level into the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate. A student in Sec 4 in 2027 sits SEC G3 Tamil (K322) instead of O-Level Tamil 1157. SEAB holds the written Mother Tongue papers in September in a single sitting, while O-Level Mother Tongue was sat twice, once at mid-year.
Is Tamil home tuition or online tuition better?
Both work for Tamil. Home lessons suit younger children who need a tutor beside them while they write and read aloud. Online lessons suit older students who have a fixed time slot and are comfortable typing or sharing a photo of their work. The tutor profiles we send say which format each tutor offers.
What does H1 Tamil involve?
H1 Tamil (8657) has a written Paper 1 in two parts of 1 hour 30 minutes each, a composition worth 30% and a language use and comprehension part worth 40%. Paper 2 is an oral of 10 to 15 minutes worth 25% and listening comprehension worth 5%. H2 Tamil Language and Literature (9577) is also offered for students who want more.
How much does Tamil Tuition Singapore cost?
Rates run S$25 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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