Directors' Notification of Dealing in Shares

Pearson PLC
4 September 2000

Letters to Company Announcements Office

The Pearson Employee Share Trustees Limited have received an additional 51,147
ordinary shares of 25p each in the company as a result of taking up their rights
in full under the recent rights issue effective on 1 September 2000.
These shares will be held under the Pearson Employee Share Trust and will be
available to satisfy conditional awards of shares to various Pearson executive
directors and certain executives under the company's Incentive Share Plan.
The release of the shares to the executive directors is dependent on certain
performance targets being met.

As the trust is a discretionary trust under which all employees (including
executive directors) of Pearson are potential beneficiaries, each executive
director is treated for Companies Act purposes as interested in the shares
referred to above.

                            =====================

The Pearson Employee Share Ownership Trust No. 1 has received an additional
205,723 ordinary shares of 25p each in the company as a result of taking up its
rights in full under the recent rights issue effective on 1 September 2000.
These shares will be held under the Pearson Employee Share Ownership Trust No.1
and will be available to satisfy conditional awards of shares to various 
Pearson executive directors and certain executives under the company's Reward
Plan and Annual Bonus Share Matching Plan.  The release of the shares to the
executive directors is dependent on certain performance targets being met.

As the Trust is a discretionary trust under which all employees (including 
executive directors) of Pearson are potential beneficiaries, each executive
director is treated for Companies Act purposes as interested in the shares 
referred to above.

                            =====================

Rights Issue take up and Non-Executive Directors' Share Purchase Plan

I am writing to advise you of the holding of each of our non-executive directors
following the introduction of a Share Purchase Plan together with the
revised holding of Pearson ordinary shares for each of our directors following
their take up of rights under the recent rights issue.

Please see below, a schedule marked 'A' which details the purchases made on
behalf of our non-executive directors, and schedule 'B' which details the
revised holding of all our directors post the rights issue.


Letters from Stephen Jones
Assistant Company Secretary
Pearson Plc
                                  SCHEDULE A

              Pearson Plc Non-Executive Directors Share Purchases

Name of Director   Shares Purchased   Shares Purchased   Shares Purchased
                   on 4/5/00          on 30/6/00         on 31/7/00

Lord Burns                67                 70                 -
Gillian Lewis             58                 79                 -
Reuben Mark               87                 91                 -
Vernon Sankey             58                 79                 -
Gurvirendra Talwar        78                 87                237

                                  
                                  SCHEDULE B

    Date      Name of Director and    Rights    Priced   Beneficial Holding
              Details of Beneficial   Issue              following Rights
              Holding                Increase            Issue

1 Sept 2000   Stevenson, Dennis
              Ordinary Shares         19,304     1000p   90,092 Ordinary Shares

1 Sept 2000   Scardino, Marjorie
              Ordinary Shares         15,209     1000p   70,979 Ordinary Shares

1 Sept 2000   Makinson, John          
              Ordinary Shares          4,798     1000p   22,396 Ordinary Shares

1 Sept 2000   Bell, David     
              Ordinary Shares          9,027     1000p   43,461 Ordinary Shares

1 Sept 2000   Lewis, Gill
              Ordinary Shares             37     1000p      174 Ordinary Shares

1 Sept 2000   Mark, Reuben
              Ordinary Shares          2,120     1000p    9,898 Ordinary Shares

1 Sept 2000   Sankey, Vernon    
              Ordinary Shares             37     1000p      174 Ordinary Shares

1 Sept 2000   Burns, Terry 
              Ordinary Shares             37     1000p      174 Ordinary Shares

1 Sept 2000   Talwar, Gurvirendra    
              Ordinary Shares            109     1000p      511 Ordinary Shares

Please note that each of the executive directors' holdings of options and
restricted shares under the various Pearson plans will be adjusted in accordance
with the options adjustment factor as agreed by the Inland Revenue and the
Company's auditors.