Hmmm...
5 months after passing my test and having done over 1100 independent miles, I still can't parallel/reverse park and I only learnt how to put my car in 5th two days ago or so
During lessons though I struggled with hill starts A LOT, coming down gears and passing cars in tight spaces. But now that I've got used to my Mighty Corsa, I only use the handbrake for hill starts if there is a car right behind me on my bumper
, I operate gears without a second thought and I can easily pass other cars at 30mph (but not buses/trucks because their drivers are evil).
I don't know what it's like outside London, but here in the SE where I live and drive mostly, it's 10% your driving skill and 90% predicting the idiotic behaviours of other road users and avoiding collisions.
One tip my dad gave me when I was struggling with gears was to change them in two moves so, rather than going from first to second, I pull First and stop it in the middle for literally a split second, then pull it down to Second. This helps immensely with Fifth, as it's such an awkward movement to make!
I am yet to go on the motorway though, but I have mastered dual carriageways and my black box score is at the highest level, plus I only get honked at if I follow the road rules which other people in a certain area seem to ignore (lane markings on roundabouts, 20mph zones etc.)
So yes, currently I'm still struggling with parking (majorly!) and joining into high speed traffic like on a dual carriageway/motorway. But it will come, I'm sure