What happens on the day.
Grade 8 and Grade 9 learners write the same paper on a single day in June. The paper rewards reasoning rather than syllabus coverage, so a Grade 8 learner is not at a disadvantage.
Every learner who writes receives a certificate, and trophies are awarded for the leading results. The prize-giving happens on the same day, in front of everyone who wrote, which is deliberate. A learner who is good at mathematics in a rural school rarely gets to be publicly good at it.
The competition is also how most families in Acornhoek first encounter AIST. Learners who write in Grade 8 or 9 are the learners who apply to STEM Girls and, two years later, to MPASS.
Who can enter.
Requirements
- Grade 8 or Grade 9
- Open to learners from any school in the Acornhoek community.
- No marks requirement
- Anyone may enter. There is no qualifying threshold.
Practical details
- One day
- Learners arrive in the morning and leave the same afternoon.
- Parental consent
- A parent or guardian signs a consent form before the day.
- Cost
- There is no entry fee.
- Entering as a school
- Mathematics teachers may enter a group of learners in one submission.
For teachers. If you would like to enter a group of learners from your school, write to us and we will send the entry details and confirm how many seats are available at each venue.
The competition in numbers.
Continuing with AIST.
The competition is the entry point to everything else AIST runs. Grade 9 learners can apply to STEM Girls in the same year, and learners taking mathematics and physical science become eligible for MPASS in Grade 11.