Transaction in Own Shares

1 May 2015

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF REED ELSEVIER PLC

Transactions in own shares

Reed Elsevier PLC announces that today, it purchased (through UBS Limited) 408,000 Reed Elsevier PLC ordinary shares at a price of 1099.1294p per share. The purchased shares will be held as treasury shares. Following the above purchase, Reed Elsevier PLC holds 81,242,285 ordinary shares in treasury, and has 1,124,849,913 ordinary shares in issue (excluding treasury shares). Since 2 January 2015 Reed Elsevier PLC has purchased 11,543,950 shares.