Both Uses

composition
in
The Outsiders
(Edited)

I used to make A's in English, mostly because my teacher made us do compositions all the time.
p. 169.5

compositions = written essays
Now I was lucky to get a D on a composition.
p. 169.6 *

composition = written essay

Definitions:

(1) (composition as in: the composition of the audience)
the parts that make up something, something made up of parts, or the way it is put together
(2) (composition as in: an original composition)
a creative work, the way the creative work is put together, or the act of creating it

Context will sometimes make clear that the creative work is the writing of music or an essay, but it can anything -- such as the way the components of a picture are arranged.
(3) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)