First of all, Cap 804 is for UK only. Moreover, it's marked as a 'reference only' since 2015. Secondly, the funny thing is that you mentioned "take the exams and receive required training".
Do you know pilots who got EASA license with 'just a checkride'? If you do, please share that experience, I suppose it will be useful. I shared mine after studying the docs and consulting with a person from Czech CAA, not from 'something I've heard about', and I did it myself. Probably there is a faster and easier way, but I do not know about it, I was describing my experience.
Probably you do, or you're talking about ATP pilots with 1500+ hours. In that case it can all be different, but I specially mentioned it.
And regarding the rest of your post:
"take the exams" - for IR and CPL you need IR and CPL exams (or ATPL), and you cannot take it without theoretical training in an ATO (unless you have 1500+ hours, at least according to EASA FCL). Show me the authority which will allow you to sit the exams without a document of completion of a theoretical training (as I know, the very min is 400h). I suppose that it makes more sense to take ATPL exams - they're good for both IR and CPL.
"training as required by an ATO" - I described what exactly is required according to EASA FCL
https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/def...u/Part-FCL.pdf (subpart D, section 2, subpart G, subpart H and the appendixes) for issuing the license and ratings.
And here're those requirements:
- NVFR rating (which requires 5 hours training, FCL.810);
- CB-IR (if you don't have 50 h IFR PIC, you need 25 hours of training, FCL.615);
- CPL (15 hours of training, FCL.315 and the appendix);
- ME (6 hours of training, FCL.725);
- ME-IR (5 hours of training).
You can do your CPL training in a MEP aircraft, of course, and eliminate SE-IR part, but I believe that it can be even more expensive.
You need a night rating if you want to fly at night under your EASA license, it's again in the Part.FCL (probably you don't for a local UK license, I don't know). Or, if you don't have a night rating, you need not 15 but 25 hours of training for issuing your CPL (again, it's mentioned in the FCL). 5 hours for NVFR seem better than additional 10 hours for CPL.
So from my understanding it is not 'just a checkride'.
It's a theoretical training (at least 400h, most probably 650h) and practical training (at least 36h of training plus skill tests). I described it in details. Correct me if I'm wrong or there's an easier way, some ATO can provide 'training as required' below EASA FCL minimums, and the UK CAA can issue UK license, which can be easily converted to EASA. If there's such route, it can probably help a lot of people not wasting time and money undergoing the process which I've recently completed.