Do you have any advice on how to write and revise better history essays

It’s all about strengthening the story, paragraphs, and sentences. Editing is then followed by proofreading. Even though it’s okay to do a little proofreading while editing, it’s important that you do a full revision focused on editing and then another one on proofreading.

Yes, you need to follow the guidelines in your assignment. If your teacher tells you to write a five-paragraph essay, then write a five-paragraph essay! If your teacher asks for a specific type of essay, like an analysis, argument, or research essay, then make sure you write that type of essay!

The amount of paragraphs you have is totally irrelevant; for each individual point should have its own paragraph. Each paragraph should be ordered logically and clearly; following the PEE structure (that is point, evidence, explain). It's very common and you've definitely heard of it before, but it's the best way to structure your paragraphs.

If it does not add value to your writing, remove it. Try this out sometime: take a piece of your writing and challenge yourself to slash 10% of the words. Just delete them. Then go through and cut another 10%. Then another 10%. At the end of this exercise, you’ll have 30% fewer words—but you should have the same meaning.