The U.K.’s exams regulator, Ofqual, announced the fine on June 11 via the U.K. government’s website.
It noted the errors affected individuals using the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for high-stakes decisions, including university admissions, visas, and immigration.
The issue stemmed from the computer-based Listening and Reading sections. Faulty automated marking incorrectly graded 93,865 answers across 7.7 million tests administered between August 2023 and September 2025.
Cambridge English did not detect the flaw for over two years. Then an upgrade to its error-detection system in September 2025 finally revealed the problem, prompting the organization to report the issue to Ofqual.
While roughly a third of the marking errors did not alter candidates' final results, 62,794 test-takers received inaccurate section scores.
