IELTS Tips: Coherence + Cohesion in Writing
Welcome back to the Get Engaged blog with MOSAIC engage.
Today’s topic is about the IELTS Writing test. This part of your writing is worth 25% of your total writing score. Luckily, it isn’t hard to improve once you know how it works.
We’re talking about Coherence & Cohesion! So, scroll down to learn what these terms mean, how they affect your score, and what you can do to improve coherence and cohesion in your own writing.
COHERENCE
Coherence refers to the overall structure and organization of your writing. Examiners want to see a well-organized piece of writing, with a clear structure, because this makes it easier to read and understand. So how can you make your writing more coherent?
➣ Make sure your introduction lays out a plan for your essay
A good introduction should start by paraphrasing the question. Then it should tell the reader what the essay will do. Will you discuss two sides of an issue? Will you give your opinion? Tell us in the introduction so we know what to expect.
➣ Make sure each paragraph has a central idea
A common mistake that writers make is trying to include too many ideas in a paragraph or going off-topic by discussing a related issue, instead of answering the question you were asked. Keep your paragraphs focused by following a pattern:
Introduce a main point → Explain it in some detail → Give an example
COHESION
Cohesion refers to the flow of your writing. Examiners want to see that your ideas are related to one another and that they appear in a logical order. They also want you to use language to link your ideas together. So, how can we do that?
➣ Discourse markers
Discourse markers, or linking words, help readers make sense of your writing by offering a signal of what is coming next. Think of them as a signpost on a road, pointing people in the right direction.
Some discourse markers include: however, therefore, moreover, on the other hand, after that, in fact, to begin with, in conclusion, and for example.
Each discourse marker has a purpose. Some are for making a contrast, some are for giving examples, and others are for introducing and concluding. Look at the examples below:
I love living in Vancouver. In fact…
Here, you can tell by my use of “in fact” that I am about to continue speaking positively about Vancouver. Maybe I’ll tell you something in particular that I love. Maybe I’ll mention someone else who loves it as well. The discourse marker “in fact” signals to the reader about what the upcoming message will be.
Similarly, if I said:
I love living in Vancouver. However…
It is clear from my use of “however” that I’m about to say something that constrasts with my love of Vancouver. Maybe I’ll say something I dislike about it, or maybe I’ll say that not everyone feels the same way as I do. The discourse marker “however” prepares the reader for the message I’m about to give.
In this way, discourse markers help organize your writing and create a natural flow for the reader.
➣ Referencing pronouns
Pronouns like this, that, those, these, his, her, their, etc. are used to refer to something else that you’ve already mentioned. Examiners are looking for this skill in your writing, because it shows a good grasp of English grammar and it creates a natural flow to your writing by helping you avoid repeating the same words too often.
Look at some examples:
1. Students should study both arts and sciences at school because they need both of these skills later in life.
Here, “they” refers back to students and “these skills” refers back to arts and sciences, which keeps the ideas organized for the reader without repeating them.
2. Schools should offer financial education classes for high school students. This would provide valuable financial literacy skills that will be useful in life.
Here, “this” is referring back to an entire sentence, and showing the reader that the same idea will be discussing in more detail.
That’s all for today’s lesson. I hope you have learned something about how to improve the coherence and cohesion of your writing.
Good luck on your test and thanks for reading :)
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