The penalty follows revelations in 2015 that a technical concern in IELTS’s automated marking system led to rating corrections for thousands of test takers, prompting issues about the influence on international trainees, migrants and organizations depending on the high-stakes English language test.
In response, IELTS apologised to those impacted and accepted duty for the errors.
According to Ofqual, automated marking failures in the listening and reading parts of IELTS went unnoticed from August 24, 2023, till September 2025, impacting candidates taking computer-delivered tests worldwide. The regulator stated the errors came from weaknesses in Cambridge English’s tracking and error-detection processes.
Ofqual found that 93,865 reactions were incorrectly significant amongst roughly 7.7 million IELTS test circumstances processed during the affected period. While a lot of those mistakes did not alter final results, 62,794 individual learners eventually got inaccurate part or credentials results that later on had to be corrected.
Of the 21,717 qualification-level corrections made, 20,602 were upward changes and 1,115 were down modifications. Many changes involved a 0.5 band score adjustment, although 2 candidates received increases of a complete band.
Ofqual said some of the impacted tests were Secure English Language Tests (SELTs), which are used in UK visa and immigration applications.
According to IELTS, of the 1,108 impacted UK visa-related tests, 279 included a change in Typical European Structure of Reference (CEFR) level.
The organisation said that four cases eventually affected visa eligibility, and that all 4 prospects consequently satisfied the required standard after resitting the test.
Announcing the sanction on June 11, Ofqual executive director for delivery Amanda Swann stated prospects had been “let down by systemic failures over a long period”.
“Tens of thousands of individuals took these tests with the expectation of precise results which affect crucial choices,” she said.
“We apologise to those affected, and we take duty for the error that led to some people getting incorrect outcomes,” an IELTS spokesperson stated.
We apologise to those impacted, and we take responsibility for the mistake that resulted in some people receiving incorrect outcomes
IELTS representative
“As soon as this issue was determined, we acted to rectify it, correcting results and supporting people. We provided refunds or resits to everyone affected. We dealt with additional support requests, including for 19 individuals who called us regarding possibly missed opportunities. We worked directly with identifying organisations and appropriate authorities to help mitigate any harm.”
IELTS included that it had actually performed “an extensive review” and carried out additional safeguards to prevent a reoccurrence.
“Our focus remains on providing precise, trusted and reasonable evaluations for every single test taker,” the spokesperson stated.
The organisation also highlighted the scale of its removal efforts. According to figures provided by IELTS, 26,246 impacted test takers asked for and got refunds, while 1,145 prospects selected a resit. An overall of 270 complaints were gotten, of which 24 were promoted. Nineteen of those problems related to declared missed chances arising from the incorrect ratings.
Ofqual kept in mind that Cambridge English had actually cooperated with the examination, accepted responsibility and participated in a voluntary settlement contract. The regulator stated these actions were considered mitigating aspects when identifying the size of the charge.
The regulator also acknowledged that Cambridge English had spent more than ₤ 6m on restorative steps, payment, consumer support and system enhancements after discovering the issue in September 2025.
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