An exam board has been fined £750,000 by an English regulator for allowing malpractice to occur in its English language proficiency test, used by universities in international student admissions. 

Pearson was fined over £2 million overall for serious breaches in three separate cases between 2019 and 2023 by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual).

Its Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) is accepted by 99 per cent of UK universities to check whether international students meet entrance requirements – with an online version introduced to ease disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic.

But in 2023, the provider received reports of discrepancies between students’ test scores and their English proficiency from universities in the UK and Australia.

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Ofqual later found that around 5 per cent of candidates were able to take the online version of this English proficiency test at home, rather than at a secure centre, and that other people had been found to have been sitting tests on behalf of students.

Pearson discontinued the online test and revoked over 9,000 results affected, but it admitted it should have identified the malpractice sooner and reported it to Ofqual earlier than it did.

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Ofqual said the incident had an adverse effect on public confidence, with three universities no longer accepting the online test. The online test was never used for visa or migration purposes.

The £750,000 fine is among the highest ever issued by the regulator, reflecting the “seriousness of Pearson’s failures”. The organisation was also fined £750,000 for a separate serious breach relating to GCSE English language qualifications and £505,000 for issues with its A-level Chinese awards.

Pearson has previously been reprimanded four times by Ofqual – including a £1.2 million fine in 2022 for failures with reviews of marking arrangements.

Amanda Swann, Ofqual’s executive director for delivery, said: “These fines reflect the serious nature of Pearson’s failures as well as our commitment to protecting students’ interests and maintaining public confidence in our qualifications system.

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“Students must be able to trust that their results, and those of their peers taking the same qualifications, accurately reflect their performance, in line with appropriate standards. Students’ work must also be their own.”

Universities around the world have raised concerns that English language testing has become less rigorous in recent years, or that entry scores for overseas students increasingly bear less relation to the student’s ability when they arrive.

In a statement, Pearson said it takes responsibility for the incidents and has implemented robust improvements.

“Our actions at the time did not meet regulatory requirements or the high standards that learners and educators rightly expect from us.

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“We apologise to all those affected. We have learned from these incidents and continue to invest in our systems, processes, and training to ensure our qualifications are delivered to the highest possible standard.”

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com