Okay, so you scored a perfect 5 on your independent essay. Great. Fantastic! Does that mean you got an A+ ? No. Sorry. There is no connection between a TOEFL score and the grading system used in American schools, a system based on letters (A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, etc.).
A TOEFL essay that scores 5 simply means you can proficiently write a rhetoric-based essay. A speaking task that scores 5 means you can do the same, only when speaking. The same with the reading and listening sections. Yes, a perfect score feels like an A+, but it's not. To get an A+, you have to sit in a real classroom and fulfill a real professor's grading criteria specific to that course.
Remember: TOEFL measures English language proficiency. High scores simply mean you are proficient. It's kind of like getting your driver's license. Was your road test perfect? No. Your parallel parking was terrible, but you got your license anyway. The license means you can function proficiently behind the wheel. The real test comes when you are on the highway racing eighteen-wheel trucks at midnight when it's snowing.
The Pro
