At a glance
- Year 1 (common)
- Chemistry 1, up to 60 periods
- Year 2
- Chemistry 2, up to 180 periods
- Year 3
- Chemistry 3, up to 60 periods
- Tracks with chemistry after Year 1
- General, CS and Engineering, Health and Life
- Language in public schools
- Arabic
Chemistry periods across secondary school
| Year | Course | Max periods per year | Who takes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| First (common) | Chemistry 1 | 60 | All students |
| Second | Chemistry 2 | 180 | General, Computer Science and Engineering, Health and Life |
| Third | Chemistry 3 | 60 | General, Computer Science and Engineering, Health and Life |
Source: Saudi Ministry of Education study plans guide, fifth edition (2025).
Where chemistry students lose marks
- The mole and stoichiometry: converting mass to moles and using ratios from a balanced equation.
- Balancing equations, including redox equations.
- Solutions: concentration, dilution and units.
- Atomic structure and the periodic table: electron configuration and trends in properties.
- Bonding: predicting shape and polarity and linking them to physical properties.
- Organic chemistry: naming compounds and recognising functional groups.
Arabic or English lessons: an honest note
Chemistry in Saudi public schools is taught in Arabic. LiveTutor has a small number of Arabic-speaking tutors, so Arabic-medium lessons depend on availability; ask when you book. English-medium explanation of the same chemistry is always available, with the tutor working from your child's textbook and pairing each English term with the Arabic one your child knows: المول mole, التركيز concentration, التفاعل reaction, الرابطة bond.
For students heading for medicine, pharmacy or engineering programmes taught in English, chemistry vocabulary in English is a real head start. If your child needs explanations entirely in Arabic, tell us, and we will be clear about whether we can match.
How one-to-one lessons work
Lessons are 60 minutes, one to one, in LiveTutor's online classroom with video and a shared whiteboard. Each lesson mixes calculation practice with concept work, following the school's chemistry course for your child's year. The tutor keeps a list of repeated errors from school tests and, in the final year, adds Tahsili-style questions.
For students in the Health and Life track, chemistry sits alongside Biology 2 and the track's health science courses, so the tutor can connect reactions and solutions to the biology your child meets in the same year. For students in the Computer Science and Engineering track, the emphasis falls on calculations and on the physical chemistry that engineering degrees build on.
When to start
The start of the second year is the key moment: Chemistry 2 has three times the periods of Chemistry 1, and students who were unsure of the mole in the first year find it hard to keep up. One lesson a week through the second year usually prevents that.
Common questions
Which year has the most chemistry?
The second year. Chemistry 2 has up to 180 periods a year, against 60 for Chemistry 1 and 60 for Chemistry 3.
Which tracks study chemistry?
All students take Chemistry 1. Chemistry 2 and 3 are in the General, Computer Science and Engineering, and Health and Life tracks.
Can lessons be in Arabic?
Sometimes. We have a small number of Arabic-speaking tutors, so it depends on availability. English-medium lessons covering the same Saudi chemistry are always available.
Does school chemistry help with Tahsili?
Yes. Tahsili draws on secondary school science, so the second-year chemistry course is central. See our Tahsili science page for test-specific preparation.
How much do lessons cost?
$15 a lesson, the same for every subject and level, on a weekly plan of 1 to 5 lessons billed monthly. The first lesson is a free trial.
Sources
Dates and figures on this page come from these official and published sources. Always confirm deadlines on the official page before acting on them.