How do you get a higher mark in a higher English critical essay?

Critical essay's are only out of 15 marks, the rest is the discursive/persuasive essay of 30. I got 14 predicted for mine but i'm not sure how accurate that prediction is from my teacher after all they get marked externally.

Hi I was wondering if anyone who is studying higher English or has studied it in the past who scored highly in their critical essay could give me some pointers about how you scored so highly? Like 17+?
My marks in all the critical essays my teacher has marked have ranged from 9 to 15. Luckily I dont drop many marks in the close reading and Scottish text but I want to make sure that I maximise my chances of getting an A hence why I need to improve the essay...

So yeah does anyone have any tips that will really make me stand out from other students?

To clarify...
In Higher English:
Folio= 30 marks (15 marks discursive/persuasive, 15 marks creative reflective)
Paper 1- RUAE= 30 marks
Paper 2- Critical Reading= 40 marks (20 marks Scottish text, 20 marks Critical essay)
Total= 100 marks




The biggest tips I can give you are...
Use a few key quotes relevant to the question (you don't need dozens of them- I would say include about 1/2 per paragraph)
Make sure you use topic sentences
Have a good introduction (it helps to almost have a template for this and just change it slightly in the exam to fit the question)
Analyse all of the quotes that you use- this is super important- fuller analysis will get you more marks
At the end of each paragraph, the last sentence or two should relate the paragraph back to the question, almost summarising how the point you made in the paragraph answers the question
Again with the conclusion, have a rough template of what you will use, so you don't need to think it up in the last 5 minutes of the exam! Make sure you bring together what you have said in the main paragraphs and be sure to answer the question in the conclusion!

Hope this helps

Critical essay's are only out of 15 marks, the rest is the discursive/persuasive essay of 30. I got 14 predicted for mine but i'm not sure how accurate that prediction is from my teacher after all they get marked externally.