The penalty follows revelations last year that a technical issue in IELTS’s automated marking system resulted in score corrections for thousands of test takers, prompting concerns about the impact on international students, migrants and institutions relying on the high-stakes English language test.
In response, IELTS apologised to those affected and accepted responsibility for the errors.
According to Ofqual, automated marking failures in the listening and reading components of IELTS went undetected from August 24, 2023, until September 2025, affecting candidates taking computer-delivered tests globally. The regulator said the errors stemmed from weaknesses in Cambridge English’s monitoring and error-detection processes.
Ofqual found that 93,865 responses were incorrectly marked among approximately 7.7 million IELTS test instances processed during the affected period. While many of those errors did not alter final outcomes, 62,794 individual learners ultimately received incorrect component or qualification results that later had to be corrected.
Of the 21,717 qualification-level corrections made, 20,602 were upward adjustments and 1,115 were downward revisions. Most changes involved a 0.5 band score adjustment, although two candidates received increases of a full band.
Ofqual said some of the affected tests were Secure English Language Tests (SELTs), which are used in UK visa and immigration applications.
According to IELTS, of the 1,108 affected UK visa-related tests, 279 involved a change in Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) level.
The organisation said that four cases ultimately affected visa eligibility, and that all four candidates subsequently met the required standard after resitting the test.
Announcing the sanction on June 11, Ofqual executive director for delivery Amanda Swann said candidates had been “let down by systemic failures over a long period”.
“Tens of thousands of people took these tests with the expectation of accurate results which influence important decisions,” she said.
“We apologise to those affected, and we take responsibility for the error that resulted in some people receiving incorrect results,” an IELTS spokesperson said.
We apologise to those affected, and we take responsibility for the error that resulted in some people receiving incorrect results
IELTS spokesperson
“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 recognising organisations and relevant authorities to help mitigate any harm.”
IELTS added that it had conducted “a thorough review” and implemented additional safeguards to prevent a recurrence.
“Our focus remains on delivering accurate, trusted and fair assessments for every test taker,” the spokesperson said.
The organisation also highlighted the scale of its remediation efforts. According to figures provided by IELTS, 26,246 affected test takers requested and received refunds, while 1,145 candidates opted for a resit. A total of 270 complaints were received, of which 24 were upheld. Nineteen of those complaints related to alleged missed opportunities resulting from the incorrect scores.
Ofqual noted that Cambridge English had cooperated with the investigation, accepted responsibility and entered into a voluntary settlement agreement. The regulator said these actions were considered mitigating factors when determining the size of the penalty.
The regulator also acknowledged that Cambridge English had spent more than £6m on corrective measures, compensation, customer support and system improvements after discovering the problem in September 2025.
