Holding(s) in Company

Pearson PLC
28 January 2004


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 48,400,695 shares, representing 6.0322% of the
issued share capital of Pearson plc.

The registered holders of the shares are listed on the schedule below.
 
From:  Stephen Jones (Deputy Secretary)
 


                                       SCHEDULE 
                                      PEARSON PLC 
                                  Outstanding Shares    802,371,835

 
Registered Holder                           No. of Shares             % of Class

Bank of New York                              453,710                    0.0565%

Chase Nominees Ltd                         39,017,198                    4.8627%

Citibank Nominees Ltd.                        597,178                    0.0744%

Euroclear                                       7,398                    0.0009%

HSBC Bank PLC                                  61,540                    0.0077%

Mellon Trust                                2,346,725                    0.2925%

Merrill Lynch                                 454,390                    0.0566%

Northern Trust Company                        780,947                    0.0973%

Royal Trust Corp of Canada                  1,433,876                    0.1787%

State Street Nominees Limited               3,247,733                    0.4048%

TOTAL                                      48,400,695                    6.0322%

     
                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange