Hasn’t been true for decades. Among high school students who eventually gain higher education entrance qualifications in Germany, about half have come up through the vocational route. And higher ed participation has quite levelled out across the OECD as a whole, again, different from what it was decades ago when the US was head and shoulders above other industrialised countries in higher ed participation.
The range of programs they can apply to is narrower, as they will have studied a narrower choice of subject. Anyone can choose to add those subjects at later points in their schooling, though, to broaden their qualifications. And yes, there is always a school for that, and government support for low income students. The problem is, that the longer you go without earnings, the less attractive the proposition, so it’s somewhat self limiting.
Note that entry into college prep track is predicated on a B- average in elementary school over a full years worth of assessments, not a high stakes exam. There is still an exam route for any kid to take if they’ve got a C average (or have gone to a Montessori or Waldorf school without regular assessments). In that one, you need three Ds. Yup, the hurdle is that low, to give as many kids as possible a chance, but by high school graduation, the attrition rate will be around 50%. It’s a weed out model rather than a gate keeper model.
I’m not a fan of how tracking is currently handled because I think it’s way too inflexible and does perpetuate a caste system, but it’s not the bogeyman opponents of the system like to build it up as.