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education publisher pearson has revealed a surge in sales of its virtual schools, while it said more teachers are using its AI tools to create exams.
The London-listed company reported a 4% rise in underlying sales in the third quarter compared to the same period last year.
This was partly driven by 17% growth in its virtual learning division, which saw a 13% increase in enrollment for the 2025-26 academic year.
Pearson runs full-time online schools for students in the US through virtual courses or part-time online learning.
AI study tools are built into learning materials for virtual schools, such as providing explanations to students if they get a test question wrong.
The business said it has growing evidence that students get higher grades when they use AI to study.
It also reported increased use among teachers of its AI assessment tool, which creates exam questions using the technology.
“By reducing the time required to create custom student assessments by more than half, this tool enables teachers to spend more time on meaningful student interactions,” the company said.
Elsewhere, Pearson reported a 1% decline in sales at its higher education arm amid challenging trading conditions amid challenging university and college student markets.
Omar Abbosh, chief executive of Pearson, said: “Pearson has delivered another good quarter of progress with accelerated sales growth in Q3 and strong performance across our businesses.
“Our teams continue to work in line with our strategic priorities, advancing the application of innovative technologies and growing our enterprise customer footprint.”