A COMPUTER whiz-kid from Bournemouth has beaten thousands of hopefuls to come fifth in the world at the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championships in Washington.

Luke Benfield, 14, won the national competition in July after scoring 100 per cent and completing the test in the fastest time.

The Year 9 pupil from Bishop of Winchester Academy was flown out to Washington for the International tier of the competition in August.

More than 650,000 exams were uploaded as part of the contest and 100 finalists participated in the final round which tested their mastery of Microsoft Office Excel.

Deputy Vice-Principal and IT teacher, Tom Macildowie, said: “It’s astonishing that Luke came fifth in the world considering how many entries there were.

“He scored 100 per cent in his test and also completed it in the fastest time in the country.”

Students from 90 countries entered the competition and Luke narrowly missed out on the £5,000 scholarship awarded to the winner.

Alison Cunard, general manager for Microsoft Learning Experiences Group said: “These student winners are truly the best of the best at effectively using various Microsoft Office tools.”

Luke’s mother, Deborah Benfield said: “I’m so proud of him and going out to Washington was such an incredible opportunity.”