A new OECD report says school students who regularly use computers perform better in key subjects than those with little experience or a lack of confidence when it comes to performing basic computer tasks.

Access to computers in schools has increased in most OECD countries - New Zealand is number five on the list - but in some countries students still have limited access. Access to computers is more common at school than at home, but the study shows that 15-year-old students use their computers at home more frequently.

Nearly three out of four students on average in OECD countries use computers at home several times a week, while in Canada, Iceland and Sweden that figure is nine out of ten. But only 44% use computers frequently at school. Eighty percent of students in New Zealand report frequent use of computers at home, whereas only 45% use computers frequently at school, says the report. Gera number of has the lowest percentage of frequent computer users at school (23%) but a high number of frequent users at home (82%).