College classes vary widely too in the US. I took classes where 100% was basically the expected grade, and I took classes where I got a 40%, which was among the highest grades in the course.
I think this variance is fine, depending on the course. It is reasonable for a foreign language course to expect a 100% on an exam, if they are testing and teaching to some particular guideline, for instance. It is also reasonable to push the limits in something like a physics course, to test both "can you regurgitate", "did you understand", and "no, really, did you really really understand"?
Except, is it? People aren't going to college to get educated - you can learn almost everything you would in school on your own, since most classes end up just using a text book anyway. Only the high level stuff where you are actually interacting with phds in some field do you get value for your absurd tuition.
Most people are there for credentials, and one of those key credentials is the GPA. If taking a certain course set at one school gets you a degree considered equivalent at another, but the other school has a department head who likes "50% is average" then you end up with one student with a 3.5 and one with a 4.0 when both are equally qualified.
The one who went to the stringent school doesn't get the job. And there is very little information on what classes what what schools (and in particular, what professors) are going to give you A's for effort or D's for genius.
A small over-generalization, don't you think ? Most people go to college to BOTH learn and get a credential. You can learn almost everything on your own, but it is usually easier to do it in an organized setting (curriculum, peers, teachers help)
I think this variance is fine, depending on the course. It is reasonable for a foreign language course to expect a 100% on an exam, if they are testing and teaching to some particular guideline, for instance. It is also reasonable to push the limits in something like a physics course, to test both "can you regurgitate", "did you understand", and "no, really, did you really really understand"?