Two Grade 8 learners from Pretoria are taking the local STEM field by storm. Johan Vorster and Gustav Heesen were the first grade 7 learners to be crowned Overall Winners of the Gauteng North Imbewu Science Fair in 2025, beating older competitors across several grades. Their innovative project is a smartphone-based application that uses AI to mark tests and assignments, relieving the burden on teachers and allowing them more time to focus on teaching.
Johan and Gustav designed, tested and tweaked their model independently, ending up with a cost-effective and accessible solution for overworked teachers. Their system is called Advanced Mark-Allocation System (AMAS), and was built using large language models and N8N flow-gramming software to alleviate the test and assignment-marking burden on teachers.
Bigger classes mean more tests and assignments for teachers to grade. This AI system is designed to mark tests and provide feedback to learners based off smart phone photos of the learners’ test papers. The software was tested rigorously, and was able to interpret the information on the photograph even when cursive writing was used. It was also able to correctly interpret very untidy and illegible handwriting, as well as writing with a lot of spelling mistakes. The data from the tests were then used to provide feedback to learners and the teacher.
AMAS generates personalised feedback to each learner based on their test or assignment information and results. It goes a step further by identifying areas for improvement and suggesting supplementary activities that could help strengthen the learner’s knowledge in that area. It also provides feedback to the teacher based on the class’s performance and overall strengths and weaknesses.
After winning the Gauteng North Imbewu Science Fair this year, Gustav and Johan were crowned as second runners-up in the National Imbewu SAYESS (South African Youth Environmental and Science Symposium) competition and were subsequently invited to participate in the Genius Olympiad in Rochester, New York, USA, in June of this year.
The boys and their families are, of course, very proud and excited about this fantastic opportunity to represent the future of South African STEM fields abroad. However, the cost of sending the two learners and a chaperone to the USA is significant. As a result, the families have started a crowdfunding campaign to help them cover the costs.
They are almost halfway to their goal, with many individuals and companies pitching in to help get Johan and Gustav to New York for the Olympiad. If you would like to contribute, click on this link to their Back-a-buddy campaign. For more information on their application, AMAS, watch this YouTube presentation the boys made to explain their invention.
EduHelp and Holistic Awareness wish Gustav and Johan all the best on their travels and the Olympiad, and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for these two bright young South African innovators!
Written By Loudine Heunis
This article originally appeared in the EduHelp/ Holistic Awareness newsletter.
Johan Voster and Gustav Heessen with the presentation of their innovative AI test-marking app. Image supplied by the Heessen family.
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