Answers

Keep in mind that the essay scoring process is, at the end of the day, still subjective. I believe 2 sets of eyes look at each paper -- they individually score it and then average their responses to calc your total essay score. So, perhaps your score, if looked at by any other two graders, could have resulted in a 10, 11, or 12. Take this score with a grain of salt, especially since you're used to scoring high.

I read somewhere that graders, on average, spend 1-2 minutes reading each essay, so they are looking for very specific things. That said, it is important to make sure you hit all of the key checkpoints to ensure a high score. To name a few: 1. catchy intro, 2. strong thesis, 3. good transitions and topic sentences, 4. well-thought-out support sentences, 5. strong conclusion, etc. If you work on those areas and build up your proficiency in hitting all of those checkpoints in 25 min, I don't see why you can't go from a 9 to a 12 on your next test.

My scores from May were like that. Got an 8, when I usually score a 10/11.