A six-year-old girl has passed a GCSE in information technology.

Geetha Thaninathan, from Maidstone, Kent, who scored a C, is thought to be the youngest child to pass the exam.

She began playing on her parents' computer at the age of two.

Her father, Kandasamy Thaninatha, who is an electronics engineer said: "Whenever I did some work, she wanted to join me, she came and sat on my lap and said, `Let me do it, I want to do it'.

"Initially, it annoyed me, and then I said, I will show you how to do it.

"I showed her how to do ABC and then she started with typing her own name."

Extra classes

Geetha studied part-time at the private Ryde College near Watford, Hertfordshire for nine months.

She attended four hours of classes on Saturdays.

Geetha says she enjoys working on computers, playing games, drawing pictures and writing stories.

"I do it at home and at college. I like to learn how to use computers," she said.

Geetha says she is not going to do an A-level in IT.

"I don't want to do too much work," she said.

No pushing

The six year old says her favourite subject at school is maths and that she also likes playing with friends.

Her father says she won an award at her state school for being the best all-round pupil.

Mr Thaninathan says he is not going to push her to continue with early exams.

"At the moment, I don't have any plans. It's up to her if she wants to carry on.

"One thing is very important - if a child does not enjoy what she is doing, you can't force her."

She has said she wants to be a doctor, he said, after watching them when her brother was in hospital.

"When I asked her why, she said they help people and save their lives," he said.