Same Cambridge results. A fraction of the cost.

DIS is a fully live online school, but Cambridge exams are sat in person at approved external exam centres. DIS students are not assessed internally for their final Cambridge qualifications. The external examination is organised through approved Cambridge exam centres such as the British Council. Parents in Abu Dhabi register their child for exams through the relevant centre ahead of the examination series. The exam papers are identical to those sat by students at any campus school. The result and qualification are issued directly by Cambridge, so the certificate carries exactly the same standing regardless of how the course was taught.

Students based in Abu Dhabi can sit their Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level papers at approved Cambridge exam centres in the UAE, including the British Council. DIS is not itself a Cambridge registered centre, so families make exam registration arrangements directly with the chosen centre. The British Council has a well-established presence in the UAE and accepts external candidates. Parents should contact their preferred centre early in the academic year to confirm registration deadlines, as these vary by exam series. DIS provides students with the syllabus documentation and predicted grades they need for the registration process.

Every DIS lesson is live. There are no pre-recorded video libraries, no self-paced modules, and no asynchronous-only courses. Students log in on a fixed Monday-to-Friday timetable, Gulf Standard Time, and join their class with the teacher and their classmates in real time. Cameras are on, questions are asked aloud, and teachers respond immediately. The timetable is visible on the DIS parent dashboard, and lessons run to a set schedule just as they would on a physical campus. Recorded replays of live sessions are available for review, but the primary delivery is always live instruction.

DIS live classes run with 4 to 6 students per session, which means students interact closely with a consistent small group and build genuine peer relationships over the course of the year. Teachers know every student by name, and the smaller class size means no student goes unnoticed. Outside school hours, DIS students in Abu Dhabi have significantly more time for in-person social activities because there is no commute eating into the afternoon. Many families use the reclaimed time for sport clubs, music lessons, community groups, and in-person activities. Social development at DIS happens through both the live classroom and the wider Abu Dhabi community.

Because there is no commute, DIS students typically finish their school day by early afternoon and have real after-school bandwidth. In Abu Dhabi, that means time for football academies, swimming clubs, art studios, music schools, and community groups without the exhaustion that follows a long campus day and a traffic-heavy pickup. Many DIS families in the UAE report that their children are more active socially and physically after moving to an online schedule, precisely because the time that was previously lost to the school run is now available for structured in-person activities. DIS does not provide extracurricular programmes directly, but the schedule is designed to leave that time free.

Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge A-Level are internationally recognised qualifications accepted by universities across the UK, the United States, Australia, Canada, Europe, and the UAE. The qualification is awarded by Cambridge Assessment International Education based on external examination results, not by DIS. UAE universities including those affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge accept Cambridge qualifications for entry. Because the exam is set and marked externally, the method of teaching, whether campus or live online, does not affect how the qualification is viewed by admissions teams. Students applying through UCAS submit the same predicted grades and transcript regardless of school type.

Yes. DIS accepts mid-year enrolments across all year groups, including IGCSE and A-Level years. This is particularly relevant for Abu Dhabi expat families who arrive partway through an academic year, or who are relocating from another GCC city and cannot wait for a September intake. The enrolment process is straightforward: families complete the online application, confirm the year group and subjects, and the student joins the next scheduled live classes on the DIS timetable. There is no penalty for a mid-year start, and the DIS team will advise on any syllabus catch-up required based on the student's prior school record.

DIS runs its live classes Monday to Friday on Gulf Standard Time, which is UTC plus 4 hours. This aligns directly with the UAE school week and working hours. Classes are scheduled across the morning and early afternoon, mirroring a standard Abu Dhabi school timetable. Students in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and across the GCC attend without any time-zone adjustment. The Monday-to-Friday schedule also aligns with the UAE working week, which means family logistics remain consistent throughout the year. Parents can view the full live timetable on the DIS platform before enrolment to confirm it fits their household schedule.

All DIS teachers are postgraduate-qualified and GCC-based. The teaching team numbers more than 100 instructors across all subjects and year groups. Teachers hold relevant subject specialisms and are familiar with the Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge A-Level syllabuses. Being GCC-based means teachers operate on Gulf Standard Time, understand the local academic context, and are available during UAE school hours for student and parent communication. Parents can message teachers directly through the DIS platform, and teachers provide feedback on assignments and assessments through the same system. Qualifications are verified as part of the DIS hiring process.

DIS live classes run with 4 to 6 students per session. This is considerably smaller than the typical class size at Abu Dhabi campus schools, where secondary classes often have 24 to 28 students. The smaller group means teachers can direct questions to individual students, provide immediate feedback, and adapt the pace of the lesson based on the class's understanding. Students who might be quieter in a large classroom often participate more actively in a group of 4 to 6. The class size is consistent across all subjects and year groups at DIS.

DIS charges AED 500 per month for Cambridge IGCSE, which covers all subjects with no per-subject surcharge. For Cambridge A-Level, the monthly fee is AED 800. Both fees include live classes, the full resource library, assignment tracking, instructor messaging, and parent dashboard access. By comparison, Abu Dhabi campus schools offering a British curriculum typically charge between AED 55,000 and AED 90,000 per year at secondary level, based on ADEK-published fee data. Over a full secondary cycle from Year 7 to Year 13, the cumulative difference between campus and DIS fees can exceed AED 400,000 for the same Cambridge qualification.

Students need a reliable internet connection, a laptop or desktop computer with a working camera and microphone, and a browser that supports the DIS live classroom platform. A tablet can work for some subjects but a laptop is recommended for written work and extended tasks. There is no specialist software to install beyond standard browser requirements. The DIS platform is accessible from any device with internet access, and the parent dashboard works on mobile for monitoring purposes. DIS provides technical guidance at enrolment and the platform support team is available during Gulf Standard Time school hours.