DVSA Part 3, Standards Check, Part 2 Driving Tests with Graham Hooper, ORDIT trainer, Coach & Mentor

Why Teaching and Learning Strategies decides more Part 3 and Standards Check results than any other section of the marking sheet

The Part 3 and Standards Check marking sheet is split into three areas: Lesson Planning, Risk Management, and Teaching and Learning Strategies. Most PDIs and ADIs I work with put a lot of energy into the first two. They plan carefully and they manage risk well. Then they lose marks in the section that carries the most weight of all.

Teaching and Learning Strategies is made up of eight competences, each scored from 0 to 3. That is 24 of the 51 marks available – almost half of the assessment. If this section is weak, it is very hard for strong planning and risk management to carry the rest of the lesson.

What the examiner is asking

For each of the eight competences, the examiner is effectively asking one question:

1. Was the teaching style suited to the pupil’s learning style and current ability?
2. Was the pupil encouraged to analyse problems and take responsibility for their learning?
3. Were opportunities and examples used to clarify learning outcomes?
4. Was the technical information given comprehensive, appropriate and accurate?
5. Was the pupil given appropriate and timely feedback during the session?
6. Were the pupil’s queries followed up and answered?
7. Did the trainer maintain an appropriate non-discriminatory manner throughout the session?
8. At the end of the session, was the pupil encouraged to reflect on their own performance?

Read them again and you will notice something. Almost every one of them is about the pupil, not the instructor. The examiner is not scoring how much you know. They are scoring whether learning actually took place.

Where the marks usually go

Over the years I have seen the same patterns come up again and again:

• A teaching style chosen before the lesson starts. The instructor decides how they will teach, rather than finding out how this pupil learns and adapting.
• The instructor doing the thinking. Problems are identified and solved for the pupil, so the pupil never has to analyse anything or take ownership.
• Missed opportunities on the drive. Real situations that would make the learning stick come and go without being used.
• Accurate but untailored information. Correct technical detail, delivered at the wrong level or at the wrong moment.
• Feedback saved up for the end. By the time it arrives, the moment has passed and the pupil cannot connect it to what they did.
• Reflection squeezed into the last thirty seconds. A quick “how do you think that went?” is not the same as helping a pupil genuinely review their own performance.

None of these are about a lack of knowledge. They are about strategy – and strategy can be learned.

Why it matters beyond the assessment

I often say that the gap between passing a driving test and being a genuinely safe driver is the central challenge of our profession. Teaching and Learning Strategies sits right in the middle of that gap. When a pupil is helped to analyse, reflect and take responsibility, what they learn stays with them long after the test.

It is also about value for money. Pupils and parents are paying for lessons. A lesson where the instructor talks and the pupil follows instructions can feel productive, but if little has been learned, the pupil has paid for a drive rather than a lesson.

What the presentation covers

This live Zoom presentation takes you through the strategies you need to make sure learning takes place, competence by competence. There are over 50 pieces of information in the session, so you will come away with practical ideas you can use on your very next lesson, not just theory.

You will look at how to:

• recognise how your pupil learns and adjust your approach to suit them
• hand responsibility back to the pupil so that they do the analysing
• use real situations and examples on the drive to make learning outcomes clear
• pitch technical information at the right level and at the right time
• give feedback that is timely and useful, rather than a summary at the end
• follow up questions properly and build genuine reflection into the lesson

Who it is for

• PDIs preparing for their Part 3 who want to understand exactly what the examiner is looking for.
• ADIs with a Standards Check coming up, or who want to move from a grade B to a grade A.
• Any instructor who wants their lessons to deliver more learning and better value for their pupils.

Booking details

Presentation: Teaching and Learning Strategies for Part 3 and Standards Check
Date: Tuesday 29 September 2026
Time: 6:30pm
Where: Live on Zoom (your link is emailed on the morning of the presentation)
Cost: £42 including VAT
Questions: grahamhooperadi@hotmail.com or text 07889 194011

Part of a wider series

Teaching and Learning Strategies is the first in a run of Part 3 and Standards Check presentations this autumn. Still to come are Instructional Techniques (20 October), Developing Questions That Enable Learning (27 October), Feedback: The Secret to Success (3 November), Lesson Planning (24 November) and Using Risk Management to Achieve the Goal (1 December).

Twenty-four marks is a lot to leave to chance. I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday evening.

Graham Hooper
ADI Grade A, Dip.DI, ORDIT