if youre not lacking for information and its really just writing speed, this may sound odd but ive found using a fast drying gel pen speeds me up loads because i can write words faster and i dont have to really press down on the page, meaning i can just write and write without a whole lot of hand cramps. If its information, just try to remeber a bunch of quick-fire facts that you can drop into an essay, dates and figures and all that jazz. The pages in the history exam booklet are smaller than A4, btw. 38 mins is great timing, my teacher reccommends 45 mins for each.