Students are now able to take their first GCSE online, submitting coursework and completing exams electronically.

The exam is being made available through OCR, an examining board, and is the first to be completely “e-assessed”.

The board said it would “transform the future of school examinations”. Pupils taking the new environmental and land-based science course are able to upload videos, photos, presentations and written reports to support their coursework.

They will also sit computer-based tests under normal controlled examinations conditions.

The exam is aimed at students who are considering careers such as farming, horticulture and conservation.

Pupils taking the exam will sit through computer-based tests involving a mixture of multiple choice and short answers without the need for pens or pencils, making the exam the first non-paper GCSE.

Moderators will still assess the short answers and coursework, but the multiple choice section of the exam will be marked by the computer.

One of the first schools to participate in offering the exam is Thomas Alleyne’s High School in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, which has its own farm.

Teacher Martin Wedgwood told the BBC that the school wanted a qualification that reflected the everyday use students now tended to make of information technology.

He stated: “Another positive is that the online assessment will put an end to endless reams of paper for both students and teachers, which will make an enormous difference to us, as students can often mislay much of this paperwork,” he said.

“We also feel that it will enable students to take a much slicker and more professional approach to their work by presenting their work electronically.”