Pearson's full year earnings will be toward the top of analysts' forecast range, the educational publisher said on Wednesday, pointing to a strengthening dollar and audience growth at the Financial Times in the first nine months of the year.

"We're naturally cautious about the global economic conditions, but we have good trading momentum, innovative products, resilient businesses and a strong balance sheet," said Marjorie Scardino, chief executive: "With those advantages, we believe we are in good shape to prosper and strengthen our company, even through these turbulent times."

Analysts had forecast full year adjusted earnings per share of between 46p and 52p, compared with 46.7p for 2007. Turmoil in financial markets and the US economy had prompted questions from some analysts about the resilience of US states' education budgets and of businesses serving the financial sector.

On Wednesday, Pearson stuck to the forecasts it had made for each of its businesses at the end of the first half of the year, saying that sales were up 8 per cent for the first nine months and operating profits were ahead by 11 per cent at constant exchange rates.

If the strengthening of the dollar against sterling seen since the interim results were maintained, it added, it expected full year adjusted earnings per share to be "toward the top end" of analysts' estimates.

The group, which makes about 60 per cent of its sales in the US, saw the pound weaken from $1.99 to $1.83 between the end of June and the end of September. Each five cent move affects Pearson's adjusted earnings per share by about 1p.

Pearson said its education business had seen sales up 10 per cent after the third quarter, an important selling season for educational materials. It held to its guidance that margins would be similar to the 15 per cent achieved in 2007, with further improvement in 2009 as recent acquisitions were integrated.

The breadth of its North American education business, with sales up 11 per cent, had allowed it to offset "some softness" in US school publishing, particularly in the supplemental publishing segment.

Pearson highlighted strong performances from its digital elementary mathematics programme, market share gains in higher education and growth from assessment businesses.

Its international education business, up 10 per cent, saw strong growth in South Africa, Spain and Mexico, and gained share in the UK school market. New software releases would help produce low single digit growth from professional education for the full year.

The FT Group saw 11 per cent in sales, led by a 14 per cent sales rise at FT Publishing, which includes the Financial Times newspaper and FT.com.

Advertising revenues for FT Publishing were up 1 per cent, and the FT and Mergermarket "are continuing to increase their content revenues and build their audiences through the volatility in financial markets," Pearson reported.

Sales at Penguin rose 3 per cent in the first nine months, driven by authors ranging from Eckhart Tolle to Jamie Oliver, and the consumer publishing division was on track to hit its target of double-digit margins for the full year.