I just finished a Masters program at Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), where this is very much not the case! Unlike the American system (Im from the US), at TCD

I just finished a Masters program at Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), where this is very much not the case! Unlike the American system (Im from the US), at TCD a 70% is considered "First Class Honors" i.e. the highest grade possible. Getting a 80% in any of the classes I took (a MSc in High Performance Computing) was very nearly impossible, the grading for assignments and exams is very harsh (but fair I think!).