Charles,
I'm sure you will pass your test first time round seeing that you're passionate about driving. I know it's not fair that girls get
cheaper insurance premiums because statistics show that girls are more careful drivers (ie are less likely to be involved in car accidents) and insurance companies rely a lot of such statistics.
However I need to point out that the quotes for car insurance go down significantly when you've actually had car insurance in your name, that is, when you have got your first year no claims discount but it will not go down by a lot if you just have one year driving experience. It makes a difference when you've held your license for like 5+ years even if you have never had auto insurance in your own name but for one year driving experience, it will still be expensive I'm afraid.
Anyway, let us know how your driving test goes and what type of car insurance you will get and with whom. Good luck!