The UK qualifications regulator Ofqual has hit Cambridge English with a massive £875,000 fine after computer-marking system errors botched the test results of over 60,000 IELTS candidates worldwide.
Imagine pulling an all-nighter, stressing over your IELTS exam, and waiting weeks for a score that dictates your future only for a computer glitch to completely ruin it. Well, that nightmare was a reality for tens of thousands of test-takers.
According to a report by Tribune Online, Cambridge English has been slapped with a whopping £875,000 fine by the UK’s exam regulator, Ofqual. The reason? A massive automated marking blunder that affected roughly 62,794 candidates between August 2023 and September 2025.
The software glitch, which handled the reading and listening components, messed up over 93,000 test responses. Because of this, 21,717 people saw their final overall scores change. While most saw a helpful boost of 0.5 points once things were sorted, 1,115 unfortunate souls actually had their initial scores downgraded.
Ofqual called it a “systemic failure” that heavily impacted people making life-changing moves, from university admissions to visa applications. To make things right, Cambridge English has already swallowed a bitter pill, spending over £6 million on 24-hour customer support, system upgrades, and compensating the affected candidates.
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