That's correct. My daughter passed last January, but was told in her lessons that using the engine to slow down is now a fail.
I was taught the exact opposite, and it's stuck. Actually our Mazda CX5 actually puts the next gear to us in the Ipack, and when going down hill on the brakes in 4th, it suggests selecting 2nd, as engine braking helps.
Something else my daughter was taught was stay in 3rd for a 30 limit, change to 4th for a 40 limit, and only select 5th once going near 50. Apparently 6th is for 70 MPH only.
I don't do any of that rubbish, I get in the highest gear I can for the speed I'm going, which explains why my MPG is twice as good as hers.