What are Module 1 and Module 2?
They are the two halves of the practical motorcycle test. Module 1 is manoeuvres on a closed off-road pad and takes about twenty minutes. Module 2 is a ride in real traffic with an examiner following, and takes about forty.
You have to pass Module 1 before you can book Module 2, and both must fall inside the two years your theory test certificate is valid.
Who needs to take them?
Every rider going for a full motorcycle licence in any category — A1, A2 or A — takes the same two modules. What changes is the bike you ride them on and the age at which you are allowed to.
Before you can book either one you need a valid CBT certificate and a passed theory test.
What each module involves
Module 1 runs at a DVSA Motorcycle Manoeuvring Area. No traffic, no other candidate riding at the same time, and the exercises in a fixed order:
Moving the bike by hand and putting it on the stand.
Slow-speed control between cones.
A walking-pace ride alongside the examiner, then a U-turn without putting a foot down.
Cornering into a stop at a marked point.
Both need a minimum speed through a speed trap, and both are where most Module 1 failures happen.
Module 2 starts with an eyesight check and questions about carrying a passenger and checking the bike over. Then you ride, with the examiner behind you giving directions over a radio: normal, angled and uphill starts, a stretch of independent riding, junctions, roundabouts, and dual carriageways where the route has them.
Requirements and prerequisites
| CBT certificate | Valid and unexpired. Required for both modules. |
|---|---|
| Theory test | Multiple choice plus hazard perception, passed, and within its two-year validity when you sit Module 2. |
| Module 1 pass | Needed before Module 2 can be booked, and it has its own validity window — do not leave a long gap. |
| Minimum age | 17 for A1, 19 for A2, 24 for unrestricted A by Direct Access (or 21 by progressive access). |
| Kit | Proper riding gear. An examiner can refuse to run the test if what you are wearing is not up to it. |
What it costs
Two costs sit behind every test: the DVSA fee, which is fixed and published, and the school's charge for the bike and the instructor on test day, which is usually the larger of the two and is not fixed at all.
Ask what a retest costs before you book the first one. Pass rates being what they are, it is a figure worth knowing in advance rather than discovering.