Coherence and Cohesion Archives - Preparation for the IELTS Exam

Guide to referencing in IELTS writing

October 9, 2023April 22, 2018 by Ray IELTS Focus

Referencing helps with coherence and cohesion in IELTS writing.

Updated: September 2022

Having a cohesive and coherent essay is very important for your overall band score in both writing tasks in IELTS, especially writing task 2. You should always make your writing as easy as possible for the reader to follow and it should be easy to understand. In the IELTS exam the reader will be the examiner.

One way to improve your cohesion is to use pronouns or object pronouns to reduce repetition. This is mentioned in the marking criteria for writing under ‘Referencing’.

IELTS Writing: Keeping it simple

October 9, 2023February 18, 2018 by Ray IELTS Focus

Being concise and keeping it simple.

Updated: January 2023

I quite often get essays that contain ‘flowery’ or convoluted sentences and vocabulary which makes it hard to understand what point is being made. My advice here is to keep your wording simple, direct to the point and concise.

It seems that many students try too hard to use ‘complex sentences’ or ‘high level’ vocabulary and completely miss the point of communication, so in the end the reader (the examiner in this case) has trouble understanding.

IELTS Grammar: Conjunctions in writing

October 9, 2023October 5, 2017 by Ray IELTS Focus

Using conjunctions in IELTS writing.

Updated April 7th 2022

For a high band score in IELTS writing, it is important to use conjunctions effectively. This shows the examiner you can use grammar precisely and helps the flow of your essay, which makes it easier for the reader. A conjunction is a word used to connect clauses or sentences. These are marked under grammar and are directly linked to coherence and cohesion in the IELTS marking criteria.

If you make mistakes with conjunctions it will affect coherence and cohesion. In fact ‘complex sentences’ can be constructed using conjunctions. Let’s take a look at some of these and how to use them correctly.

How to use cohesive devices effectively

December 6, 2023July 20, 2017 by Ray IELTS Focus

A guide to linking and cohesion in IELTS writing.

Updated: December 2023

One of the most important skills for getting a good score in the IELTS writing exam, is the way cohesive devices or linking devices are used. In the marking criteria for task 2 essays and Writing task 1 reports, Coherence and Cohesion accounts for 25% of your marks. So it is important to have an essay that flows naturally and is easy for the reader to understand. A key component of this is cohesive devices, however, use them correctly and sparingly.