The driving test marking sheet is an official form called the DL25, or “driving test report” (DVSA, GOV.UK). Your examiner fills it in as you drive – almost always on a tablet now – recording every fault under one of around 30 categories, each with an S box (serious) and a D box (dangerous). Collect up to 15 driving faults and you pass; one serious or one dangerous fault fails you outright. Here is how to actually read it.
That is the whole test in a paragraph, but the sheet trips people up because the letters are not what most learners assume. So let us take it apart properly, from the passenger seat, box by box – and clear up the single most common myth about what the D box means.
What is the driving test marking sheet called?
The marking sheet has a proper name: the DL25, published by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). You will also hear it called the driving test report or the driver’s record. There is a matching version for motorcycle tests, the DL25MC, but for a car test it is the DL25 you want.
You do not have to guess what is on it, either. The DVSA publishes the blank form on GOV.UK (“Driving test marking sheet”) so instructors can mark mock tests with it, and the agency actively encourages learners to get familiar with the layout before test day. When examiners moved to marking on tablets rather than paper, the categories stayed identical – the tablet just saves the result and emails it to you faster.
How is a driving test sheet marked?
Every time you make a mistake, the examiner decides two things: which category it falls under, and how serious it was. The DL25 is a grid. Down the left are the skills being assessed; across from each one sit the marking boxes. A driving fault (a minor) is recorded as a tally mark against that category. A serious fault goes in the S box for that category, and a dangerous fault goes in the D box.
The categories on the DL25 map onto real driving, in the order the examiner watches for them. They include:
| Section on the DL25 | What is being marked |
|---|---|
| Eyesight | Reading a number plate at 20 metres before you drive |
| Precautions / Control | Cockpit checks, then clutch, gears, footbrake, steering |
| Move off | Safety and control pulling away, blind-spot checks |
| Use of mirrors / Signals | Mirrors before an action; signals necessary, correct, well timed |
| Junctions | Approach speed, observation, turning left and right |
| Positioning / Lane discipline | Where you sit in the lane and on the road |
| Pedestrian crossings | Recognising and responding to each type |
| Response to signs and signals | Traffic signs, road markings, traffic lights, other road users |
| Use of speed / Progress | Right speed for the conditions; not dawdling unnecessarily |
| Reverse / parking manoeuvre | One of four manoeuvres, marked on control and observation |
| Controlled stop | The emergency stop, when included |
At the bottom sits the part everyone cares about – the total faults box and the pass/fail tick. That is where the examiner adds it all up and gives you the result.
What does S and D mean on a driving test sheet?
This is where nearly everyone gets it wrong, so read this bit twice. On the DL25, S stands for Serious and D stands for Dangerous. Both are majors. Both fail you on their own.
You will see a lot of driving-school blogs claim the D box is for “driving faults” (minors). It is not, and repeating it has confused thousands of learners. The DVSA’s own examiner guidance (Annex 6, GOV.UK) is explicit about the three grades:
- Driving fault – “not potentially dangerous, though habitual commission of a fault demonstrates inability to deal with certain situations.” This is the minor. It is recorded as a tally, not in the S or D box.
- Serious fault – “potentially dangerous.” Marked in the S box. One is an instant fail.
- Dangerous fault – “involving actual danger to the examiner, candidate, the general public or property.” Marked in the D box. One is an instant fail.
So the difference between serious and dangerous is not how big the mistake felt – it is whether the danger was potential or actual. Pull out at a junction and force an approaching car to ease off, and that is potentially dangerous: an S. Pull out so it has to brake hard or swerve to miss you, and the danger became real: a D. Same manoeuvre, one grade worse, because someone actually had to take avoiding action.
How many faults can you get on the driving test?
You can pick up up to 15 driving faults (minors) and still pass, provided you get no serious or dangerous faults at all (DVSA, GOV.UK). Reach 16 and it is a fail on minors alone. A single S or a single D fails you whatever your minor count – even at zero minors, one serious fault ends the test as a fail.
There is one more trap in the minors. If you keep making the same fault, the examiner can mark it up as a serious one. GOV.UK puts it plainly: a driving fault, “if you keep making the same fault, it could become a serious fault.” There is no fixed three-strikes counter written on the sheet – the examiner is watching for a habit. Miss your right blind spot once and it is a single minor; miss it moving off, changing lanes, and at junction after junction, and that pattern is genuinely unsafe, so it can be recorded as a serious fault. We go deeper on this in our guide to how many minor faults you can have on the driving test.
What are the fault grades in plain English?
Here is the whole grading system on one screen, because it is the heart of the sheet:
| Fault grade | Also called | On the DL25 | Effect on result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving fault | Minor | Tally mark in the category | Up to 15 allowed; 16 fails |
| Serious fault | Major | S box | One = instant fail |
| Dangerous fault | Major | D box | One = instant fail |
Two things worth holding onto. First, a pass is a pass – there is no distinction or merit grade, so 0 minors and 15 minors earn you the exact same licence, and your insurer never sees the count. Second, the grade is about risk created, not tidiness. Clip a kerb reversing on an empty road and it is a minor. Mount that same kerb where someone is standing and it becomes serious or dangerous, because now there was danger. The examiner is grading the risk, not the neatness of your steering.
What is ETA on the marking sheet?
ETA stands for “Examiner Took Action”. It is a box the examiner only fills in if they had to step in to prevent something going wrong – either physically, such as touching the dual controls or the wheel, or verbally, such as telling you firmly to stop. If that box is marked, you have failed, because the examiner intervening means the situation was no longer safe in your hands. You want ETA left blank.
You may also spot an Eco section on the sheet. That records fuel-efficient, lower-emission driving – smooth acceleration, sensible use of gears – but here is the reassuring part: it does not affect your result. It is feedback only. The examiner will mention how eco-friendly your driving was at the end; it can never fail you. What it is actually assessing, and why the habits behind it still matter for your minors, is covered in our guide to eco-safe driving.
What are the five parts of the driving test?
The DL25 covers a test built from five parts, and knowing them tells you what the examiner is marking and when. Before any of it starts the examiner checks the car itself, so if you are using your own vehicle it is worth reading the DVSA rules your car has to meet on test day. According to the DVSA, the car test lasts about 40 minutes and runs as:
- Eyesight check. Read a number plate from 20 metres away – about five car lengths (GOV.UK). You may wear glasses or contacts. Fail this and the test ends here, which is why the eyesight box has no D column: there is no “carry on” option.
- “Show me, tell me” vehicle safety questions. One “tell me” before you drive, one “show me” while driving. Get one wrong and it is a single driving fault.
- General driving. The main stretch, following the examiner’s directions through junctions, roundabouts and different road types.
- A reversing manoeuvre. One of four – parallel park, bay park (reversing in or driving in), or pulling up on the right and reversing. You are marked on control and, above all, observation.
- Independent driving. You drive on your own for 20 to 35 minutes (GOV.UK), following a sat nav or road signs. It is not a navigation test – a wrong turn is not a fault. Our full explainer covers what independent driving involves.
Roughly one in three tests also includes the controlled (emergency) stop, slotted into the general driving. If yours does, the examiner briefs you first and checks the road is clear before signalling.
What is the number 1 reason for failing a driving test?
The single biggest cause of failed tests is poor observation at junctions – not looking properly before pulling out or turning – which sits at the top of the DVSA’s published list of fault reasons. It rarely shows up as one dramatic near-miss. It is usually the quiet, repeated version: not quite checking, junction after junction, until the examiner marks the habit as a serious fault. Most of the other top reasons are the same shape – mirrors not used before moving, steering control, and response to signals – everyday minors repeated until one turns major. We break the full list down in our guide to the most common reasons for failing the driving test.
The lesson from the sheet is that you do not need a perfect drive. You need a safe one: no majors, and no single fault repeated into a habit. Fix your junction routine and your mirror discipline and you have dealt with most of what the DL25 actually catches.
How do you read the marking sheet after your test?
Win or lose, the examiner sends you a copy – by email or post – and it repeats back to you every fault they recorded, with the dangerous and serious faults listed above the driving faults so the worst issues are easy to spot (GOV.UK). Read it with your instructor. Each tally against a category tells you exactly which skill let you down and how often, which turns a vague “it didn’t go well” into a specific practice list: three minors under “junctions – observation” is a clear instruction about where next week’s lesson goes.
If you passed, the bottom of the sheet carries your pass certificate number, you sign to confirm your health has not changed since you applied, and you can drive straight away while your full licence is processed. If you did not, the sheet is the most useful thing you will take away – it is a map of what to sharpen before you go again.
How to use the marking sheet to actually pass
Knowing the DL25 will not, by itself, move a single mark – the test is a judgement of your driving, not a memory quiz. What the sheet does is tell you where the marks live, so your practice can be aimed. The categories that decide most tests are observation at junctions, use of mirrors, and control on the move, so those are worth more of your time than any manoeuvre.
That aim-your-practice logic is exactly why a concentrated course works well for the people it suits. If you are early in your learning or starting from scratch, our Provisional intensive course builds those core marking-sheet skills – junctions, mirrors, observation – in a focused block rather than spread thin over months, so the routine becomes automatic before test day. You can see how the whole thing fits together on our how it works page, and if you want a complete game plan for the day itself, read how to pass your driving test first time. GetMyPass gets you genuinely test-ready; the examiner and the DVSA decide the result, and this sheet is how they record it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a driving test sheet marked?
The examiner uses the DL25 form, marking each mistake under one of around 30 categories. A driving fault (minor) is recorded as a tally against that category; a serious fault goes in the category’s S box and a dangerous fault in its D box. At the end they total the faults and tick pass or fail. You pass with up to 15 driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults (DVSA, GOV.UK).
What does S and D mean on a driving test sheet?
On the DL25, S means Serious and D means Dangerous – both are major faults and either one fails you. It does not mean “safe/driving”. Minor (driving) faults are not marked in the S or D box; they are tallied against the category. A serious fault is potentially dangerous; a dangerous fault involves actual danger (DVSA examiner guidance, GOV.UK).
How many minor faults can you get and still pass?
Up to 15. Reach 16 driving faults and you fail on minors alone, and a single serious or dangerous fault fails you regardless of your minor count (DVSA, GOV.UK). Repeating the same minor can also be marked up as a serious fault if the examiner judges it a habitual, unsafe pattern.
Can I fail if I can’t parallel park?
Not for an untidy park on its own. If you finish slightly off position but stayed in control and observed properly, that is a minor at most. You only fail the manoeuvre if you do it unsafely – missing your mirror and blind-spot checks, swinging out without looking, or reversing with no real control near other road users – because that creates a serious fault.
Can you fail for not checking a blind spot?
You can. Missing a blind-spot check, especially when moving off, is a fault, and if your failure to look was potentially dangerous – for example pulling out into the path of a cyclist or car you did not see – it is marked as a serious fault, which is an instant fail. Isolated and low-risk, it may only be a driving fault, but repeated it can escalate to a serious one.
What is ETA on the driving test report?
ETA means “Examiner Took Action”. The examiner only marks it if they had to intervene, physically (using the dual controls or wheel) or verbally, to keep things safe. If it is marked, you have failed, because it means the situation was no longer safely under your control. On a clean test that box stays empty.