Pearson and UCL launch AI research partnership

PTE Author
PTE Author
Image- UCL,640px
Reading time: 3 minute

London, February 4, 2020: Pearson, the world’s learning company, and the UCL Institute of Education today launched a new three-year project collaboration looking at the role of AI in English Language assessment.

The research will focus on test-takers end to end experience of taking PTE (Pearson’s leading high stakes test of English) for either study or migration purposes. This fully digital test is delivered through Pearson VUE, the computer-based testing business of Pearson. The latest AI technology is used for scoring; biometric data collection provides enhanced security measures and voice recognition software is applied for the speaking element of the test. These cutting-edge technologies ensure the provision of an impartial and highly accurate test of people’s English language proficiency.

The purpose of the research will be to ensure that global test-taker responses are fed back into the ongoing development and use of AI in assessment and to ensure the fairness, accuracy, and validity of these tests.

Commissioned by the PTE research team, the project will be led by UCL Associate Professors Dr. Mary Richardson and Dr. Sandra Leaton-Gray.

Dr. Mary Richardson said: “If you take an English oral exam, for example, you want a system that gives you the marks you deserve, whether you learned English originating from America, Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, Malta, or Hong Kong. All those different, slightly subtle local variations in vocabulary and sentence structure need to be built into the assessment model, so you get a fair mark. This is where artificial intelligence can really help us.”

Her views are echoed by Dr. Rose Clesham, Director of Academic Standards, Measurement, and Research for PTE: “Pearson has been working in the area of Artificial Intelligence in assessment for some time. There is a real potential to revolutionize the way people take low and high stakes tests, the way we mark them, and how we provide results and feedback. This new collaboration between PTE and the UCL Institute of Education will put our test takers right at the heart of the assessment process.”

PTE Academic is one of the fastest-growing products in Pearson and is a strategic growth priority for the company, posting 17% growth in test volumes last year. The test is accepted by the UK, Australian, and New Zealand Governments for all visa applications. It is also accepted by 100% of Australian, New Zealand, and Irish Universities, 98% of UK universities, and more than 2,000 academic programs in the USA.

Alongside this, we have recently launched PTE Home, a two-skills language test accepted by the UK Government for family, settlement, or citizenship applications. It tests speaking and listening skills.

Related Content

  • Image - reading a book 800px x 451px
    AI-driven language testing growing across Canada
    By PTE Author
    Reading time: 2 minutes

    Pearson, the world’s learning company, today announced that five new colleges will be utilizing the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic). With this announcement, PTE Academic is now recognized by 90 percent of all post-secondary institutions across Canada.

    Unlike other tests, PTE Academic is a 100 percent computer-based test. Designed and monitored by people, the examination is administered and evaluated by leading Artificial Intelligence technology to ensure accuracy and lack of bias in its test results. Pearson’s PTE Academic test is now recognized at:

    • Holland College (Charlottetown, PEI)

    • Coast Mountain College (Terrace, British Columbia)

    • Focus College (Kelowna, BC)

    • Oulton College (Moncton, NB)

    • Northern Lights College (Dawson Creek, BC)

    “We are looking forward to working with Pearson Canada and the PTE Academic test as a means for prospective students to meet the English Language Proficiency for access to the College. Having reliable results will enable us to better support our students as they begin their academic adventure at Coast Mountain College,” says Stephen Salem, Director, Institutional Research and Registrar.

    Other leading Canadian institutions which recognize PTE Academic include the University of British Columbia and McGill University. The test is also recognized by more than 2,000 universities worldwide.

    Pearson’s platform enables test-takers to schedule a test at their convenience, and test results are returned within five days, with 85 percent of results returned within a two-day period in 2018.

    “We believe PTE Academic offers a huge advantage to test takers,” said Marlene Olsavsky, Managing Director at Pearson Canada. “Our use of leading AI technology means colleges can trust that students’ English proficiency levels are scored accurately and with no bias. We also know students like the flexibility of booking and fast results we offer – making PTE Academic the increasingly popular English language test worldwide.”

    Explore the full list of the Institutions which recognize us.

  • Image- Asian student, 1080px
    PTE now available in all the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries
    By PTE Author
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    Editor’s note (November 2025): As of November 2025, PTE tests are no longer available in Myanmar due to changes affecting payment processing and test delivery.

    Pearson now delivers Secure English Language Test (SELT) exams for UK visas in all Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. 

    PTE Academic, PTE Academic UKVI, and PTE Home tests are available at 29 locations in total across the 10 ASEAN countries of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam as of December 2024.

    English is the working language of the 10 member ASEAN bloc, which is home to more than 650 million people and as many as 1,000 languages. 

    The ASEAN PTE centers are located at:

    • Brunei Darussalam: Bandar Seri Begawan 

    • Cambodia: Phnom Penh 

    • Indonesia: Jakarta, Surabaya, Pontianak 

    • Japan: Chiyoda-ku, Osaka shi, Shinjuku 

    • Korea, South: Busan, Seoul 

    • Lao People’s Democratic Republic: Vientiane 

    • Malaysia: Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Sabah, Selangor 

    • Philippines: Baguio City, Cebu, Davao, Makati, Makati City, Manila 

    • Singapore: Singapore 

    • Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri, Pathumthani 

    • Vietnam: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City 

    Book a PTE test today or view prices and your nearest test center.

    Last updated 05 November 2025.