Tailored lessons and targeted practice led this Penicuik learner to success.
Robert from Penicuik got in touch in the summer of 2024 about starting driving lessons. A few years earlier, I had helped his sister Zoe achieve her licence, and now it was Robert’s turn to get on the road.
We started off on a quiet backroad just outside Penicuik—perfect for a first lesson and getting to grips with the car’s basic controls. Robert quickly picked up the essentials like moving off, stopping, and changing gears smoothly.
As his confidence grew, we moved up towards the edge of Edinburgh to introduce more challenging road conditions—roundabouts, traffic lights, dual carriageways, and more. Robert was always upbeat, enthusiastic, and eager to improve, which made our lessons productive and enjoyable.
Once we had worked through all the key road features, it was time to tackle the manoeuvres. Knowing that the driving test includes one randomly chosen manoeuvre, we practised all of them until Robert felt comfortable and consistent.
After another few weeks of refining his skills, we carried out a mock test. Like most learners on their first attempt, Robert didn’t pass—but the real value was identifying key points to work on. We created a plan to improve those specific areas and, after more focused lessons, ran another mock test—this time with much better results.
The only thing left to do was find a test date. This proved tricky, with long waiting lists and very few cancellations available in Edinburgh. Robert kept checking and, thankfully, managed to find a date we were both free for.
On test day, I collected Robert from Penicuik, and we headed to the Currie test centre for one last practice. I’m pleased to say that Robert went on to pass his driving test on his first attempt. Well done, Robert—you’re now free to come and go from Penicuik whenever it suits you!
