Knowing the student did not have an aircraft with a traditional 6-pack, he decided to proceed with what was essentially a box-ticking exercise, rather than impart any meaningful education to the student
According to Centaurus the pilot was practicing prior to taking his CIR. Since this would allow him to fly IMC in any aircraft of the class it does not matter that his own aircraft was not fitted with 'traditional' instruments. It might be okay for airliner flying, where the IR is type specific but the same cannot be said for the CIR and GA aircraft. The pilot should have been able to fly on limited panel, on steam gauges in order to pass the CIR (and for very much more practical reasons). Anything else is a bit like teaching someone to pass their driving test rather than how to actually drive their car properly.