Coherence and cohesion

What it tests

Coherence and cohesion is a quarter of your Writing band. Coherence is whether your ideas are in a logical order a reader can follow. Cohesion is how you connect them: linking words, pronouns, and referring back to what you have already said.

At band 6 the writing is organised and uses linking words, but they can be mechanical or sometimes wrong. At band 7 each paragraph has one clear central idea, the order is logical throughout, and the linking is natural, with only occasional over-use or under-use.

How to approach it

1. Plan before you write, for three to five minutes. Decide your position (Task 2) or your main features (Task 1), and give each body paragraph one main idea.
2. Start each body paragraph with a sentence that says what the paragraph is about. Everything after it should explain, support or give an example of that idea.
3. Link ideas in the way the meaning needs: contrast (however, although), cause (because, as a result), addition (also, in addition), example (for instance).
4. Refer back instead of repeating: this, these changes, such policies, they. Make sure each one clearly points to one thing.
5. Write in paragraphs, with a clear break between them: an introduction, two or three body paragraphs, and a conclusion for Task 2.
6. Read it through at the end and remove any linking word that is not doing a job.

Common traps

• A linking word at the start of every sentence. "Firstly… Moreover… Furthermore… In addition…" in a row reads as mechanical. Many sentences link naturally without one.
• The wrong link. "However" introduces a contrast; using it to add a similar point confuses the reader and lowers the band.
• Two ideas in one paragraph. If a paragraph changes topic halfway, split it or cut one idea.
• Unclear pronouns. "This shows that…" after a sentence with three ideas leaves the reader guessing what "this" is.

A worked example

A short body paragraph, written for this guide, and how to improve it.

Weak: Public transport is good. Moreover, cars cause pollution. Furthermore, buses are cheap. In addition, many people live in cities.

Stronger: Investing in public transport would reduce pollution in cities. Each full bus replaces dozens of cars, and these vehicles are the main source of exhaust fumes in many urban areas. Cheaper fares would also encourage people to leave their cars at home, which would cut emissions further.

1. The weak version lists four separate facts, each with a linking word that adds nothing; the last fact is not connected to the others at all.
2. The stronger version opens with one central idea, pollution, and every sentence supports it.
3. "These vehicles" refers back to "cars" instead of repeating the word, and "also" and "which" link the ideas by their meaning.

Timing

Spend the first three to five minutes of each task planning your paragraphs and the last two or three checking how they connect. A clear plan saves more time than it costs.