My son passed his test last year, and I was eventually banned from trying to teach him myself because things have changed since I passed my test (probably about 1960)
The main thing was that changing down when approaching lights etc is frowned upon - you are told to coast and brake, hence the probable reason behind the enquiry.
I was told that brake pads are cheaper to change than clutch or gearbox.
(I still go down the gears though!)
