PTE’s new campaign paves the way for fairer English language testing

Pearson has launched a campaign for the Pearson Test of English to spotlight its fairer evaluation system powered by responsible AI and world-leading language experts. The campaign is based on insights from a survey conducted by PTE which brings into focus how stereotypical perceptions can act as deeply ingrained biases that impact people negatively even in high-stakes situations. Featuring brand ambassador Vicky Kaushal, the campaign draws attention to how these unconscious biases affect English language scores, deterring global mobility for many deserving aspirants. 

The brand film traces the experiences of three test takers, presenting a powerful narrative through a two-layered story. The first layer showcases how judgements towards people’s looks, accents, and appearances influence their confidence across every-day situations. It showcases a girl with red highlights in a hair being stared down at a bus stop, a turbaned Sikh boy practising the American roll of Rs to pronounce ‘waterr’, and a corporate professional hiding his tattoos under the cuff of his shirt on his way to work. 

By illuminating these lived experiences of how biases make people conscious and uncomfortable, the film moves into its second layer which showcases the same people thriving in their PTE test, highlighting how the test ensures fairness by eliminating face to face interviews and leveraging technology that recognises more than 125 different accents.

Speaking about the campaign, Rachel Exton, vice president of marketing at Pearson, says, “Unconscious bias is often deeply ingrained in our society, and can impact people’s futures in ways they may not even recognize. These experiences exist even in the English proficiency space, especially in a diverse country like India where cultures, accent, attire and looks change every few kilometers, where innumerable nuances of class dynamics are intricately ingrained in the social fabric. None of these factors, however, determine how proficient one is in the English language. And that’s exactly what we at PTE stand for and are trying to take to our audience through the #PTEforFairness campaign.”

The brand films have been conceptualised and created by VMLY&R, the creative agency behind the brand’s previous campaign which also featured Vicky Kaushal. 

Complementing the brand film, PTE has also created 20-second short films with Vicky Kaushal, where he takes the role of a friendly advisor to the three people featured in the brand film. He encourages them to own their uniqueness, including their original accent, when taking the PTE – rehashing how the test recognises 125 accents and judges people only for their English skills and nothing else. At the end of these short films, Vicky brings in the brand hashtag #PTEKarBefikar to remind audiences of the worry-free test experience promised by PTE.