DL25A
The examiner's marking sheet
The examiner will assess your driving during your test. To help him, he uses the marking sheet DL25A.
- "driving" faults - sometimes called minor faults;
- serious faults;
- dangerous faults.
Driving faults...
...will not usually cause you to fail. A driving fault is a minor error, which, on it's own, is not a serious problem.
However, if the total of your driving faults is sixteen or more, you will fail, even if there are no serious or dangerous faults.
If you keep repeating the same driving fault (for example, stalling) it will be recorded as a serious fault - which will result in a fail.
Serious faults...
...will result in failure. Even if you make only one fault on test, if it is a serious fault - you fail.
It's difficult to say if a particular error is serious or not, unless you are present when it is made. The examiner has to take into account the effect of your error on other drivers, and other factors. He will assess whether the fault is a one off, or part of a pattern in your driving.
Dangerous faults...
...will also result in failure. Even if you make only one fault on test, if it is a dangerous fault - you fail.
I tell my learners that they don't need to worry about dangerous faults - they are not going to make any. It's my sad idea of a joke, but there is some truth in it. A dangerous fault is something which causes real danger to another road user or yourself - somthing which we will have worked hard to make sure doesn't happen.