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We all know driving over the speed limit is a no-no on the test (as well as before and after), but did you know driving too slowly can be a serious fault, and can lead to a fail?
This fault will come under inappropriate speed.
Yes too fast is obvious, and while you may be deemed to be driving too fast and at the same time be well within the speed limit for the road conditions, too slow can be just as much an issue to other drivers.
Examiners want to see a confident drive, and driving too slow on a clear, dry road with plenty of room and visibility is evidence of a nervous driver lacking in confidence.
I have a colleague whose candidate received two serious faults, one for too slow and one for too fast on the same test!
The student was driving at 38 in a 30, (the examiner told them to slow down as they approached a speed camera) followed by 28 in a 40.
The 28mph in a 40 zone resulted in a serious fault because they accumulated a number of cars behind, some of which began to overtake.

Is it alway a fail?

Not at all.
I have had students where the examiner has warned in the debrief that they were on the border of receiving a serious fault for their speed.
We knew this was an ongoing issue
Often in a test, the difference between a driver fault and a serious fault is the proximity and effect on other road users.
If nobody is around, then it would be a driver fault, but if you look in your mirror and you have a procession following you, you might want to reassess your speed.
This isn’t to say ever go faster than you feel comfortable with, safety is the absolute number one priority.
However if you feel you are being over cautious, and would like to work on increasing your speed in general, speak to your instructor and they will use appropriate techniques to address this issue.