I like this shot and think it got a lower score than it deserved but still, I can understand it cause in free studies you need to make sure your shot stands out and has that wow factor. I would have voted a 6 on this one as well.
For starters, I like the lighting. I think the framing could be better though, I would have liked it better if you had framed it closer to him cause that t-shirt is drawing too much of my attention, I would have lost the bottom and right part of the photo, cutting it off just under his jaw and hair on the right. I also would have chosen a warmer white balance cause of your choice in WB the skin tones aren“t as pleasing as they could have been. That or either just gone the total opposite direction, made it much cooler, drawn down the saturation and up with the contrast.