This happened to my brother he renewed his licence but did not check it until some 2 years later when he heard about other people having problems only to find that he did not have the category on for riding a motorcycle. He contacted the DVLA to be told that he had to prove that he had passed his test bearing in mind that he passed his test way back in the sixties. They asked him various questions such as where did he pass his test, could he remember the name of the examiner. Because he passed his test way back before everything went the DVLA they did not have all original records, they did however search the records for the year that he sat his test and for the local authority where he sat it but could not find it so he had no other option but to take his test again which he did pass. However they did ask a personnel question which at first surprised him, they said in your youth were you ever convicted of a motoring offence he replied no to which they said oh what shame if you had been guilty of a motoring offence that would have been on record and would have said if you had a full or provsional licence and they could use that to alter his licence. They also said that if you have a photocopy of the paper licence that also could used to reclaim any missing categorys, I do now have photocopies of both mine and my wife's paper licences.