Keygrip
It's not the 'pass' or 'fail' we're talking about here, it's the Examiner's "put down" comments. The Examiner has the power to leave a candidate thinking he's 'not really up to it', even if he passed the test. Many people with existing low confidence go through life achieving success (eg a pass in a flight test), but inwardly believing that they're a fraud and that their inabilities will be uncovered sooner or later.
'A pass is a pass', as they say. If you give the candidate a pass, leave him with some sage advice, but don't leave him with nagging doubts.