Director Shareholding

Pearson PLC
14 May 2001


Pearson plc - Notification of Directors' Interest

Pearson operates the Annual Bonus Share Matching Plan (the 'Plan') whereby
executive directors and certain senior executives are able to elect to invest
their annual bonus in ordinary shares in the Company ('Shares').  The
participant is then entitled to receive, after tax hereon, one additional Share
free of charge for every Share left in trust for five years (or half that number
of additional Shares after three years).  Entitlement to the additional Shares
is dependent on Pearson satisfying a corporate performance target and will
normally be lost if the participant leaves Pearson's employment.

The directors named below have informed the Company on 11 May 2001 that they
have purchased Shares in order to participate in the Plan in respect of annual
bonuses for 2000.  The purchase price for all of these Shares was 1438.5318p per
share.

Director         Shares         Resultant        Percentage
                 Purchased      Holding          Holding

M M Scardino      8,509         79,768             0.01
J C Makinson      5,732         28,197             0.0035
D C M Bell        3,823         47,910             0.006