Directors' Notification of Dealing in Shares

Pearson PLC
23 May 2000


LETTER TO: COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENTS OFFICE
DATED:     23 MAY 2000

Pearson plc - Notification of Directors' Interests

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 thereon, 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 participants leaves Person's employment.

The directors named below have informed the Company on 19 May 2000 that they
have purchased Shares in order to participate in the Plan in respect of annual
bonuses for 1999. The purchase price of all these shares was 1903.94p per share.


Director        Shares          Resultant       Percentage
                Purchased       Holding         Holding

M M Scardino     7,326           55,466          0.0089
J C Makinson     4,884           17,571          0.0028
D C M Bell       3,413           32,915          0.0053

LETTER FROM: PEARSON PLC