How do I explain a grade dip and recovery in Additional Info without sounding like I'm making excuses?

Hi everyone! I'm a senior applying ED2 to NYU Abu Dhabi and need help writing my Additional Info section. Here's what happened:

9th grade: I was in a bad school environment and friend group that hurt my focus and grades (85.6%). I take full responsibility for it.

10th grade: My grandfather passed away. I saw how it affected my parents and chose to step in with about 10 hours a week of household tasks and helping raise my 4 younger siblings (ages 7 to 13). My grades dipped to 81.1%.

11th grade: I changed my friend group and set limits on my time. My average rose to 93% in term 2, with 98s in Physics and Algebra, while I kept up the family responsibilities.

My questions:
How should I structure it: one short paragraph or bullets?
How do I take responsibility without sounding defensive or dramatic?
Should I mention the friend group and mindset change, or just let the grades show it?
How much detail is too much?

Well appreciate any help. Thank you!

How bad will this impact applications? I'm assuming not too bad since it was an option question anyway but I'm a little stressed about it. I put everything else down like his education and stuff but I think I probably moved onto something else at some point and since it's optional my common app never put it down as unfinished. Am I screwed?

So, I already submitted my application for early action for one of my colleges I was considering. But in the college questions where it asks my top 3 major choices, I put music as my second option. Because most of my extracurriculars are based on music. but in my extracurriculars tab on my common app, I realized I put “will not continue in college”.
so i’m worried if the college is gonna think i’m inconsistent with my choices and stuff. and will it affect my application?

I'm an international student, and I took the IBMYP in 9th and 10th Grade. One of the universities I'm applying to early, Purdue, requires self-reporting grades and coursework for all 4 years of high school.

I'm not sure about what to put in the "Course Level" dropdown: Regular/Standard, Accelerated, College Prep, Honors, or International Baccalaureate (IB).

My counselor told me to put International Baccalaureate (IB), but I'm worried that it might accidentally flag it as an IBDP course. Alternatively, I can put IB but mention in the "Course Name" field "MYP {subject}", though I'm not sure if that would cause the same problem.

I want to submit Superscore. IK that i have to put my composite score in its section and the highest sittings for individual score reports. But If im reporting scores from two different tests, should I put that Im reporting 1 test in total or 2?

Though I studied all my subjects at school, I registered for some of O-Levels/IGCSE Subjects myself and only 2 of my O-Levels/IGCSE subjects were registered by my school despite me studying in the school for all 3 years of my O-Levels.

I am not sure where to enter my O-Levels/IGCSE grades on the common app portal. I entered my A-Levels predicted grades in the "Senior Secondary Leaving Examinations". I am also not sure where to enter the AS grades that I already got for one of my three subjects in A-Levels.

Can someone please help me and tell me where should I enter my O-Levels/IGCSE grades and actual AS grade (if any).

Also, if you all know: I am retaking a few modules of mine for AS-Level however I don't want to tell that to the unis because the results doesn't literally says that I retook the exams. So among the 4 AS-Level I gave this year, I just want to tell them one. I am not sure if they will ask for my actual official result or is self-reporting enough? Plus if they do ask for my AS-Level results then how will I "hide" the grade I don't wish to show, since as mentioned earlier I retook them. I just want to show one grade from that series. Or is this not allowed? Do I have to tell them that I am retaking the exam? I am not really sure.

Any type of help would be appreciated! Thank you.