Primary school maths is one of the subjects that parents in Singapore worry about most. This is partly because of the tricky PSLE Maths questions that have gone viral on social media.
To better support your child in their maths learning, it's useful to know what they will actually cover in primary school maths, level by level. You might then want to create a learning and revision plan, or anticipate where your child might need external support such as tutoring.
For this guide, we've referred to the Ministry of Education's 2021 Mathematics Syllabus. From 2026, this syllabus applies across Primary 1 to Primary 6, until the next update.
How primary school maths is taught in Singapore
Across all six years, the syllabus is organised into three areas, called content strands:
Number and Algebra: working with numbers, money, fractions, decimals, percentage, ratio and, in the final year, simple algebra.
Measurement and Geometry: length, mass, volume, time, area, shapes, and angles.
Statistics: reading and making sense of data in picture graphs, bar graphs, tables, line graphs, and pie charts.
Within these strands, the topics are the building blocks, and the goal is for children to use them for reasoning and solving problems.
Primary 1 to 4: the common foundation
The first four years of maths learning are the same for every primary school student.
Below, we've provided a quick overview of what's covered from Primary 1 to Primary 4.
For a full breakdown of every topic and sub-topic, please refer to the official MOE document.
Read the official MOE syllabus →
Numbers to 100: counting, place value (10s and ones), reading and writing numbers, comparing and ordering, number patterns, and ordinal numbers (1st to 10th)
Addition and subtraction: within 100, including mental calculation
Multiplication and division: first concepts, multiplying within 40, and dividing within 20
Money: counting money, in cents up to $1 and in dollars up to $100
Length: measuring, comparing, and drawing lengths in centimetres
Time: telling time to 5 minutes, and durations of half an hour and one hour
2D shapes: naming and sorting basic shapes, and making figures with them
Picture graphs: reading and understanding simple picture graphs
Numbers to 1,000: counting, place value (100s, 10s, and ones), comparing and ordering, number patterns, and odd and even numbers
Addition and subtraction: up to 3 digits, including mental calculation
Multiplication and division: tables of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10, and how the two operations relate
Fractions: fractions of a whole, comparing them, and adding and subtracting like fractions
Money: in dollars and cents, including decimal notation
Length, mass, and volume: measuring and comparing in metres, grams, kilograms, and litres
Time: telling time to the minute, and working in hours and minutes
2D and 3D shapes: making patterns with 2D shapes, and naming common 3D shapes (cube, cuboid, cone, cylinder, and sphere)
Picture graphs: reading picture graphs that use scales
Numbers to 10,000: place value, comparing and ordering, and number patterns
Addition and subtraction: up to 4 digits, including mental calculation
Multiplication and division: tables of 6, 7, 8, and 9, division with remainder, and longer multiplication and division
Fractions: equivalent fractions, simplest form, and adding and subtracting related fractions
Money: adding and subtracting money in decimal notation
Length, mass, and volume: converting between units
Time: measuring in seconds, the 24-hour clock, and finding durations
Area and perimeter: squares and rectangles
Angles: right angles, and angles bigger or smaller than a right angle
Perpendicular and parallel lines: identifying and drawing them
Bar graphs: reading and interpreting bar graphs
Numbers to 100,000: place value, comparing and ordering, number patterns, and rounding
Factors and multiples: finding factors and multiples
The four operations: longer multiplication and division
Fractions: mixed numbers and improper fractions, fraction of a set, and adding and subtracting fractions
Decimals: up to 3 decimal places, and the four operations with decimals
Area and perimeter: including composite figures made of squares and rectangles
Angles: measuring and drawing angles in degrees
Rectangles and squares: their properties
Line symmetry: identifying and completing symmetric figures
Nets (what a 3D shape would look like unfolded): linking 3D solids to their flat nets
Tables, line graphs, and pie charts: reading and interpreting them
Primary 5 to 6: Standard Mathematics
From Primary 5, students follow either Standard Mathematics or Foundation Mathematics.
The Standard syllabus, which most students take, continues to build on concepts learned in the first four years. It also introduces topics such as percentage, rate, ratio, and simple algebra.
For a full breakdown of every topic and sub-topic, please refer to the official MOE document.
Read the official MOE syllabus →
Numbers to 10 million: reading and writing large numbers
The four operations: order of operations and brackets
Fractions: the four operations with fractions, including mixed numbers
Decimals: multiplying and dividing decimals by 10, 100, and 1,000, and converting units
Percentage: finding percentages, discounts, GST and interest
Rate: understanding and calculating rate
Area of a triangle: including composite figures
Volume of cubes and cuboids: including liquid in a rectangular tank
Angles: on a straight line, at a point, and vertically opposite angles
Triangles: properties and finding unknown angles
Parallelogram, rhombus, and trapezium: properties and finding unknown angles
Fractions: dividing by fractions
Percentage: percentage increase and decrease, and finding the whole from a part
Ratio: equivalent ratios, simplest form, and dividing a quantity in a given ratio
Algebra: using letters for unknowns, simple expressions, and simple linear equations
Area and circumference of circles: including semicircles, quarter circles, and composite figures
Volume of cubes and cuboids: finding dimensions from volume, and square and cube roots
Special quadrilaterals: finding unknown angles in composite figures
Average: calculating averages
Primary 5 to 6: Foundation Mathematics
Foundation Mathematics is an option at Primary 5 and 6 for students who would benefit from a stronger grounding in the basics.
It revisits important concepts and skills from the Primary 1 to 4 years, and covers fewer new topics than the Standard syllabus.
For a full breakdown of every topic and sub-topic, please refer to the official MOE document.
Read the official MOE syllabus →
Numbers to 10 million: reading, writing, comparing, ordering, rounding, and number patterns
The four operations: order of operations and brackets
Factors and multiples: finding factors and multiples
Fractions: concepts, equivalent fractions, mixed numbers, and the four operations with fractions
Decimals: up to 3 decimal places, and the four operations with decimals
Rate: understanding and calculating rate
Time: hours and minutes, durations, and the 24-hour clock
Area and perimeter: squares, rectangles, and composite figures
Volume of cubes and cuboids: building and measuring volume
Perpendicular and parallel lines: identifying and drawing them
Angles: measuring, drawing, and finding unknown angles
Rectangles and squares: their properties
Tables, bar graphs, and line graphs: reading and interpreting them
Fractions: dividing by fractions, and expressing fractions as decimals
Decimals: multiplying and dividing decimals
Percentage: finding percentages, discounts, GST, and interest
Area of a triangle: including composite figures
Volume of cubes and cuboids: including liquid in a rectangular tank
Rectangles, squares, and triangles: properties and finding unknown angles
Pie charts: reading and interpreting pie charts
Average: calculating averages
Want to chat with other parents about primary school maths? Join the conversation on the KiasuParents forum!
