UK Fines Cambridge English £875,000 Over IELTS Marking Errors That Affected 62,000 Candidates
- Ofqual has fined Cambridge English £875,000 after IELTS computer-marking errors affected thousands of global candidates
- Automated scoring issues, Ofqual said, miscalculated IELTS listening and reading results for over 62,000 candidates
- Cambridge English has corrected scores and spent millions addressing failures affecting visa and education decisions
The UK examinations regulator has fined Cambridge English £875,000 after computer-marking errors led to incorrect International English Language Testing System (IELTS) results being issued to tens of thousands of candidates around the world.
The penalty was announced on Thursday, June 11, by the UK's Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), which said the mistakes affected people who took the test between August 2023 and September 2025.
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Legit.ng reports that IELTS is one of the world's most widely recognised English-language tests. Its results are often used for university admissions, employment opportunities, and visa or immigration applications in several countries.
What caused the IELTS scoring errors?
According to Ofqual, the problem came from an automated computer-marking system used to score the listening and reading sections of IELTS tests taken on-screen. The system incorrectly marked 93,865 responses among the 7.7 million tests taken during the affected period.
The regulator said 62,794 candidates received incorrect scores for their listening or reading components before the mistake was discovered and corrected. In 21,717 cases, candidates' overall IELTS scores were later changed.
Most of the affected candidates saw their final scores increase after corrections were made. However, 1,115 people had their scores reduced because they had originally received marks that were higher than they should have been.
"All corrections to overall results up or down were by 0.5 on a final score scale of 0 to 9, apart from 2 cases that had a one-point increase," the statement added.
Ofqual said the failures went undetected for more than two years. Cambridge English only discovered the issue in September 2025 during an update to its error-monitoring system and later reported it to the regulator.
Visa applicants hit as errors corrected
The case also involved 1,108 candidates who took the Secure English Language Test (SELT), a version of IELTS used by people applying for certain UK visas and immigration routes.
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"Tens of thousands of people took these tests with the expectation of accurate results which influence important decisions. Those who took these tests, as well as those who used them, were let down by systemic failures over a long period, and our significant fine reflects this," Amanda Swann, Ofqual’s Executive Director for Delivery, said.
Cambridge English accepted responsibility for the breaches and agreed to measures aimed at preventing similar problems in the future.
Ofqual said the organisation spent more than £6 million correcting results, compensating affected candidates, operating a 24-hour support service, and introducing safeguards to prevent a repeat of the error.
UK tightens student visa financial rules
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that UK Visas and Immigration warned international students that visa applications will be refused if they fail to meet strict financial requirements covering tuition fees and living expenses.
Applicants must prove they can fund at least one academic year of study plus monthly living costs, which vary between £1,171 and £1,529 depending on whether they study outside or inside London.
UKVI added that funds must be held for 28 consecutive days and evidenced through bank statements, loans, or sponsorship, though some applicants from listed countries may be exempt from upfront proof.
Source: Legit.ng
