Planning and recording how you learn to drive :Cross Stitch – Motoring

Research shows that learners who have a combination of professional instruction and private practice do better at the driving test. On average, those who pass have had 47 hours of professional instruction and 20 hours of private practice. Find out how to use a driver’s record to plan your learning.

The meaning of each level is:

level one – the skill is introduced
level two – it can be carried out under full instruction
level three – it can be carried out correctly when prompted
level four – it rarely needs to be prompted
level five – you can carry it out all the time without any prompting

Levels one to four should be initialled and dated by your instructor, and full details added when you reach level five.

The driver’s record will help to remind you what you are trying to achieve, how to get there and how far you have got.

It’s important to practise what you have learned during your lessons. Get together with your instructor and the person who will be helping you to practise and discuss what you need to do.

Try to practise:

on as many types of road as you can
in all sorts of traffic and weather conditions, even in the dark
on dual carriageways where the national speed limit applies – you may be asked to drive on this type of road during your test

Keep a record of any practice you do on different types of road and during different conditions between lessons. This will help you to remember how much practice you have had in the different conditions.

You should also record any worries you may have about your driving and then discuss these with your instructor.

The Driving Standards Agency encourages you to take someone with you on your driving test. They:

will usually be the person who has taught you to drive
could be a relative or friend
must be over 16 years old
cannot take any part in the test
will be able to see how you perform during the test

To get the most benefit, ask your instructor to go with you. They can then give you advice on how to improve your driving, whether you pass or fail.

If you’d like to take someone with you, make sure that you talk to them about it when you are preparing for your test.