IT'S the last place on earth you'd expect a WA student to be sitting their year 12 exams.

Natarsha Richard is one of the state's most far-flung pupils, preparing for her WA Certificate of Education exams almost 10,000km away in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh.

The former St Mark's Anglican Community School student moved to the Middle East because of her father's work earlier this year, leaving her to complete her final year of schooling by distance education.

Unlike teens here, 16-year-old Natarsha is banned from driving or dating boys her age.

"The cultural differences are significant," Natarsha told The Sunday Times. "There are many strict regulations here for both women and men. Women are required to wear the long black abayas everywhere and punishments are severe for not wearing them.

"I had been looking forward to learning to drive when I turned 16 which I cannot do here since it is the only place in the world where women can't drive.

"People live very differently here. The shops close five times a day for prayer, people generally go out at night as they rely on their husbands to drive them and they work during the day. The weather is also cooler at night, and most shops stay open till midnight or 2am.

"At the supermarket, there are separate lines for men and women and restaurants have 'family only' sections and 'single' sections just for men. Men cannot come into the family sections or female lines without a woman with them."

When WA's 15,500 pupils sit their end-of-year exams, which started on Friday, in school halls across the state, others will be sitting them in Canberra, Pardelup Prison Farm, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Natarsha, whose dream is to become a surgeon, will sit exams for human biological science, health studies, mathematics and English, at Riyadh's American International School, starting tomorrow.

Her family lives in a compound where women don't have to wear an abaya. Although she doesn't attend school, Natarsha said she had made many friends in the compound.

Her mother Debbie said Natarsha had made many sacrifices living in Riyadh as a teenage girl, but the experience had enriched the family.

"Natarsha has always remained positive and enjoyed her studies through (the School of Isolated and Distance Education) and has been a very self-motivated student," she said.

"Although this transition, especially at this fundamental time in my life, has been a huge challenge, I am glad I did it," Natarsha said. "I feel being more experienced with these different cultures has allowed me to grow and gain a little more perspective."

School Curriculum and Standards Authority chief executive Allan Blagaich said 15,521 students, mostly year 12s but ranging in age from 14 to 79, were sitting exams, with 13,400 sitting four or more exams. Exams finish on November 22.