I would argue that the UK academic system is more based on the application of knowledge, while the US system is based on cramming... The instructors in the UK are more strict and better developed... They push their students to produce quality work. US instructors are lenient and more gracious in awarding grades. I worked for Academic-knowledge before, and boy were the assignments complex or what?! Very rarely did my clients score an 80... it was always between 60 and 75.
P.S Academic-Knowledge is based in the UK... at least they claim to be, lol.