Temperature variation of radiative recombination rate obtained for defect photoluminescence (PL) in high-quality a-Si:H after illumination of intense pulsed light is presented and compared with results previously reported for defective a-Si:H films. We have not found significant difference between the temperature variation of the rate of radiative recombination at photo-created radiative defects and that at native radiative defects. This fact suggests the recombination processes at the photo-created defects and the native defects are similar. The temperature dependence of the radiative recombination rates in a-Si:H is predicted by a model of the recombination processes for various cases of different density of deep and strongly localised tail states. Our recent experimental results for the principal PL and defect PL coincide with the prediction of the model. (C) 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim