Essay - how to go from a 9 to a 10?

<p>I've consistently received a 9 on my essay for the last 4 times I've taken the test, from freshman to junior year. I feel like I've tried practically everything to get a higher score, from using all historical examples to using all personal examples to writing in almost a stream-of-conciousness fashion. My grammar/language usage is fine; I write relatively well under pressure and since I'm kinda a grammar nazi myself, I don't make many grammar mistakes. I just can't figure out what my writing is missing that would push my essay just one point higher.
has anyone else experienced this? What did you guys do/what approach did you use to get a 10+?</p>

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<p>^With a little bit of luck, that got me a 12. What I have found is that the readers really like not-so-well-known/used “classic” books (either that or they had no idea what the book was). Like, whenever I wrote about invisible man, they seemed to like it very much. It just depends on what the prompts are.</p>