Yes you will pick up a few points in a lecture. The human brain is unable to retain all the information in one lecture. The hard graft is at home learning formulae, facts and figures by repeatedly going over and over and over them all again and again and again. There is no way you could pass the exam by just sitting in at the lectures and doing no study at all. So cut out the middle man and do the distance learning, because the constant reading and revision is where the learning comes from. Yes the lectures may help but you have to give up your job to take them.
By the way I have not started the ATPL but I think I will go the DL route, just my choice for the reasons above really. Bristol GS seems to get rave reviews in every post and it is DL only so my theory holds water maybe. I think I will be doing DL at Glasgow when the time is right. I will let you know what happens whether I was right or wrong.
Anyway enjoy the flying everyone.
J