An exam board has been fined £875,000 after awarding migrants with English language test passes when they actually failed. The fine was imposed by Ofqual, the exams regulator, following a computer marking error that affected thousands of test takers.
Error Details
The listening and reading parts of the test, conducted using the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) from Cambridge English, part of Cambridge University, were marked by a computer. An auto-marking error led to 93,865 responses being incorrectly marked among the 7.7 million tests taken between August 24, 2023, and September 4, 2025. In a third of those cases, the errors had no impact on component or overall results.
IELTS stated that during the affected period, 7,786,614 test instances were processed. Of these, 63,216 test instances involved a change of result at component or qualification level, affecting 62,794 individual learners. Additionally, 21,717 test instances saw a change at qualification level, with 20,602 upward changes and 1,115 downward changes.
Impact on UK Visas
UK visa-related tests accounted for 1,108 of the affected tests, with 279 of these seeing a change in CEFR level. In four cases, incorrect results impacted visa eligibility. However, in each instance, the affected test taker subsequently resat and met entrance requirements.
Ofqual reported that 26,246 test takers requested and received a refund, 1,145 test takers requested and received a resit, and 270 complaints were received. Of these complaints, 24 were upheld, with 19 relating to a 'missed opportunity'.
Regulator's Response
Amanda Swann, Ofqual's Executive Director for Delivery, said: '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. We will always step in to protect the integrity of tests and maintain public confidence in regulated qualifications.'
Apology from IELTS
A spokesman for IELTS apologised to those affected, adding that the firm accepts responsibility for the error. 'Once this issue was identified, we acted to rectify it, correcting results and supporting people. We offered refunds or resits to everyone affected. We addressed additional support requests, including for 19 individuals who contacted us regarding potentially missed opportunities. We worked directly with organisations and relevant authorities to help mitigate any harm. We have conducted a thorough review of what happened and have implemented additional operational controls and safeguards to prevent a recurrence,' they said.
