and more emphasis on plodding through to meet prescribed standards.
In other words box ticking. A well written progress report after each dual session was the norm in the old days. There was nothing about "competencies." Currently, by the time an instructor has ticked all the required competencies (boxes) after each flight, it is no wonder he doesn't feel like adding to a progress report with a meaningful and intelligent description of the student's flight.
That said, the tick in the box requirement so beloved by CASA has one advantage in that it disguises the fact that English writing skills of some instructors barely meet primary school standard.