Yes and I am aware there is a bit of a risk involved sending someone off that early. I was young myself at the time and the aerodrome lent itself to that sort of thing, I.E., large, grass and uncontrolled.
When I looked at a student's logbook in later years and noted the student had done some advanced exercises like steep turns, etc., for example before soloing I knew straight away he or she probably had a good instructor.