Just coming towards the end of my PPL(H), and what we were taught is how to fly straight and level on instruments, and how to make level turns, to a compass point. We did some raise/lower altitude, but not climbing or descending turns.
The aim (I have been led to understand) is to perform a 180 turn on instruments to get back where we came from.
However the underlying advice (in no uncertain terms) is stay away from clouds and if it doesn't look nice, don't go, or land. For me, that means if you can't maintain 1500 ft due to cloud, that's the decision point for go home/land, and it's been made.
BW