: shareholder information :

Payment of dividends to mandated accounts  Where shareholders have given instruction for payment to be made direct into a bank or building society, this is done through the Bankers Automated Clearing System (BACS), with the associated tax voucher showing the tax credit attributable to the dividend payment sent direct to the shareholder at the address shown on our register. If you wish the tax voucher to be sent to another address, please inform our registrar, Lloyds TSB Registrars, The Causeway, Worthing, West Sussex BN99 6DA. Telephone 0870 600 3986 or, for those shareholders with hearing difficulties, textphone number 0870 600 3950.

UK tax on capital gains  At 31 March 1982, the base date for capital gains tax, the value of each of the company’s ordinary shares (adjusted for the one-for-one capitalisation issues in May 1985 and June 1992) was 62p. The market quotations of Pearson plc ordinary shares and Royal Doulton plc ordinary shares on the first day of dealing in Royal Doulton shares, following the demerger in 1993, as calculated in accordance with section 272(3) of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 and as derived from the London Stock Exchange Daily Official List on 2 December 1993 were:

Personal Equity Plans (PEPs) and Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs)  The government no longer permits investment to be made in PEPs, although existing PEPs may be continued. Existing Corporate PEP and Single Company PEP holders who require further information about their PEPs should ring the Halifax helpline on 0870 606 6417. Lloyds TSB Registrars now offer ISAs in Pearson shares. They can be contacted for information on 0870 242 4244.

Low cost share dealing facility A postal facility, which provides a simple, low cost way of buying and selling Pearson shares, is available through the company’s stockbrokers, Cazenove & Co., 12 Tokenhouse Yard, London EC2R 7AN. Telephone 0207 588 2828.

Information about the Pearson share price  The current price of Pearson ordinary shares can be obtained from Financial Times CityLine on telephone 0891 433620. Calls are charged at 60p per minute.

American Depositary Receipts (ADRs)  Pearson introduced a sponsored Level One ADR programme in March 1995. Each ADR represents one ordinary share. The programme is administered by the Bank of New York, ADR Department, 101 Barclay Street, New York, NY 10286, telephone 800 BNY ADRS (toll free number within the US) or (1) 908 769 9835 (international telephone number). However, as holders of ADRs are not registered shareholders, they do not automatically have the right to receive the Pearson report and accounts or other communications, nor are they able to attend or vote at the Annual General Meeting.

Advisers  auditors : PricewaterhouseCoopers bankers : HSBC Bank Plc broker : Cazenove & Co. financial advisers : Lazard Brothers & Co. Limited, J. Henry Schroder & Co. Limited solicitors : Freshfields, Herbert Smith and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.