Holding(s) in Company

Pearson PLC
5 November 2003


LETTER TO:   RNS


Notification of Change in Interest in Shares


We write in accordance with rule 9.12, under the continuing obligations section
of the Listing Rules, to notify you that we have today received information
that, pursuant to section 198 of the Companies Act 1985, the shareholding of
Franklin Resources, Inc. equals 24,780,157 shares, representing 3.0884% of the
issued share capital of Pearson plc.

The registered holders of the shares are listed on the schedule attached.


LETTER FROM:  PEARSON

                                    SCHEDULE
               
                                   PEARSON PLC

                                        OUTSTANDING SHARES      802,371,835

REGISTERED HOLDER                NO. OF SHARES                    % OF CLASS


Bank of New York                    425,510                         0.0530%

Chase Nominees Ltd               16,835,473                         2.0982%

Citibank Nominees Ltd               461,964                         0.0576%

Deutsche Bank                        24,900                         0.0031%

Euroclear                             3,698                         0.0005%

HSBC Bank PLC                        30,050                         0.0037%

Mellon Trust                      2,270,701                         0.2830%

Merrill Lynch                       237,990                         0.0297%

Northern Trust Company              781,327                         0.0974%

Royal Trust Corp of Canada        1,067,876                         0.1331%

State Street Nominees Limited     2,640,668                         0.3291%

TOTAL                            24,780,157                         3.0884%





                      This information is provided by RNS
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