Before faults are recorded and examiner has to ask themselves a few questions first. As a guide the chart above gives you an idea of what they need to consider before marking the faults as Driver faults, Serious faults or Dangerous faults.
The decision they make should be based on their interpretation at the time the incident occurred.
Sometimes we may find that the decision is harsh, but if you are an instructor that sits in on the back of a driving test, you'll also possibly notice that there are times when as an instructor carrying out a mock test, you may give your pupil a fault, but an examiner on a test may not have given a fault for the same thing.
This is because they use the process as shown above (or similar) to make their judgement call.
So it is not always a case of black and white. There can be a lot of grey, so as instructors we need to express this process to our pupils so that they do not overthink a fault that they have made. It may also be a case that the examiner did not see the fault.
REMEMBER! the examiner's role IS NOT to be a fault finder, they are observers during the test and the will only mark faults that they see.
If you have never sat in on a driving test or are a new instructor, it is highly recommended that you do sit in on a few of the tests.
This is not for you to check whether the examiner is doing a proper job, but more for you to watch the examiner. Understand what they are looking for in a good driver, and to see how they watch the pupil, where they look when you pupils move off, where they look before and after the give instructions, how they give the instructions.
These are all things you as an instructor should be doing daily.
By watching the examiner, you will build up your skills.
Obviously, you should only be sitting in the back of the car with your pupils consent and never push your way into the back.
While in the back YOU CANNOT interact with the examiner nor your pupil, you are there for all intent and purpose as a ghost!
If an examiner were to consider that you are playing any part in giving a form of communication to your pupil, the test can be terminated.
