Driving Test – Marking sheet 24 areas marked on

The guidance explains what a student needs to do in the 24 skill areas that are assessed.

It also includes examples of common faults and advice for your pupils about how to improve in these areas.

The full list of areas includes:

  • ancillary controls
  • awareness and planning
  • clearance to obstructions
  • control
  • controlled stop (emergency stop)
  • eyesight check
  • following at a safe distance
  • forward park (drive forward into a parking bay)
  • fuel-efficient driving (eco-driving)
  • judgement (overtaking, meeting, crossing)
  • junctions (including roundabouts)
  • move off
  • pedestrian crossing
  • position and normal stops
  • positioning
  • precautions
  • progress
  • response to signs and signals
  • reverse park (parallel park or reverse into a parking bay)
  • reverse / right (pull up on the right)
  • signals
  • use of mirrors
  • use of speed
  • vehicle checks (‘show me, tell me’ questions)

Car driving test

Understanding your car driving test result, including what was assessed, what sorts of things counted as faults, and how to improve in each area.

About your driving test result

To pass your driving test, you needed to make:

  • no more than 15 driving faults (sometimes called ‘minors’)
  • no serious or dangerous faults (sometimes called ‘majors’)

If the examiner had to tell you to do something or take control of the car to avoid an accident, your result will show the ‘examiner took action (ETA)’.

Talk to your driving instructor about your result. This will help them focus any more lessons you need or Pass Plus training on the right skills.

If you did not pass

Talk to your driving instructor about when you should rebook your test if you failed. You should only book it when they say you’re ready.

You could ask your driving instructor to carry out a mock test to help make sure you are ready for your next test.Show all sections

Ancillary controls

You need to show you can use the car’s secondary features and controls and know when to use them. This includes things like windscreen wipers, and heating.

You needed to show you can use these while driving, without losing control of the car.

Examples of faults

Some of the most common faults for this area include:

  • not turning on the windscreen wipers when it starts to rain
  • losing control of the car when using one of the controls
  • not using the demisters to clear the front windscreen when needed

How you can improve in this area

If you made faults in this area during your test, or if you want to improve in this area, you should:

If you need to rebook the test, spend time practising and improving this skill with your driving instructor or supervising driver. Use the time to familiarise yourself with the car’s secondary controls and features.

Awareness and planning

You needed to show you can:

  • anticipate other road users’ actions and potential hazards
  • react in good time, not at the last minute

You should have been extra careful around more vulnerable road users. This includes:

  • motorcyclists
  • cyclists
  • horse riders
  • pedestrians

Examples of faults

Some of the most common faults for this area include:

  • not anticipating or showing awareness of the actions of cyclists and other vulnerable road users
  • not anticipating or showing awareness of other road users
  • pulling up behind a queue of parked vehicles
  • not anticipating that pedestrians are about to cross the road at any time

Your examiner may have explained the specific details of any faults you made.

How you can improve in this area

If you made faults in this area during your test, or if you want to improve in this area, you should:

If you need to rebook the test, spend time practising and improving this skill with your driving instructor or supervising driver. Practise your awareness and planning by:

  • looking well ahead to anticipate what might happen
  • checking and rechecking what’s going on around you
  • looking for other road users, signals given by drivers, and road markings and traffic signs
  • looking for clues to help you act safely, such as, reflections in shop windows