Essential Driver Training (EDT): the 12 lessons

What is Essential Driver Training?

Essential Driver Training (EDT) is a structured course for new drivers. It has 12 sessions of one hour each with an approved driving instructor (ADI). All holders of a first learner permit issued from 4 April 2011 must take it.

The course exists so that every learner gets the same basics before sitting a test. It is not a test, and you do not pass or fail a lesson. The ADI teaches, checks your progress and logs the session.

What are the 12 lessons?

The topics follow the RSA’s lesson table. Your ADI will give you the detail for each lesson. If your instructor’s names differ slightly, ask them to match each one to this list.

In what order do you take the lessons?

The rules set the order:

• Lesson 1 comes first.
• Lessons 2 to 8 follow in order.
• Lessons 9 to 12 can be taken after lesson 8.

Your instructor plans the gaps between lessons. Use them to practise what each lesson covered with a sponsor driver.

Who logs the lessons?

Your instructor does. After each lesson the ADI records it with the RSA. You usually also keep a learner logbook, which the ADI signs. Check after each lesson that it has been uploaded, because everything depends on that record.

If a lesson is missing from the RSA’s system, you cannot join the invitation queue. And if you have a test booked but have not completed all lessons, the RSA cancels it five days before your appointment. You do not lose your fee, and you stay on the waiting list. A cancelled test is still lost time, though, and a test that does not go ahead does not count as a test taken for a further permit from 1 November 2026. See the new permit rules.

How does EDT fit with the six-month rule?

First-time permit holders must wait six months before sitting the test, and the permit shows code 991 meanwhile. The two requirements run together. You can complete the 12 lessons inside those six months, then your ADI uploads the last one, and you can join the queue. Our learner permit guide explains the six-month rule, and the booking guide covers what happens next on MyRoadSafety.

A sensible plan:

1. Get your permit and find an ADI.
2. Book lesson 1 and spread the rest over the six months.
3. Practise with a sponsor driver between lessons, on roads you have covered with your ADI.
4. Check the lessons are uploaded as you go.
5. Join the queue as soon as you qualify. Waits are weeks long.

Is there a reduced EDT?

Some learners can take a reduced course of six sessions instead of 12. The RSA’s reduced EDT page says who qualifies. The sessions covered are lessons 1, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10. If you think you qualify, ask the ADI before your first lesson, so they plan the right course.

What happens in a typical lesson?

Every ADI teaches a little differently, but a lesson usually starts with a plan for the hour and a short briefing. You drive, the ADI gives directions and feedback, and at the end you talk through what went well and what to practise. Ask for the points in writing or in your logbook. They give you a to-do list for the week with your sponsor.

How do you choose an instructor?

You need an ADI on the RSA’s register. Beyond that, choose someone you can learn from.

• Ask whether they will upload each lesson promptly.
• Ask what you can expect from the first lesson, and whether they offer the car for your test.
• Ask what they charge per lesson, and whether there is a discount for a block.
• Choose someone who teaches in the area where you want to take your test, because they know the roads.

Many learners use their instructor’s car for the test, and the RSA says vehicles may be hired from an ADI. Check the arrangements when you book.

What do the 12 lessons not cover?

Twelve lessons is the legal minimum. It is not a measure of readiness. After your last lesson you still need hours behind the wheel with a sponsor, practice on the roads around your test centre, and a mock test. The RSA’s own advice is to get plenty of practice on all road types and in all traffic conditions with someone who has held a full licence in the same category for more than two years.

When you have the hours, you can start practising the test itself. Turas has a practice plan that counts back from your test date, and practice routes around more than 50 test centres. Read how to prepare for the test for a step-by-step plan.