Liffey,
You have to be very disciplined to do them distance learning. You also need the time to commit to them. When I did my ATPL's, I did them full time, it worked best that way for me. I passed them all 1st time and averaged over 90% for all subjects. I did however start initially on distance learning but got nowhere fast. I didnt have the time to commit and probably lacked the discipline to sit down and study. When I switched to full time, I never looked back.