Ask most IELTS candidates what Coherence and Cohesion means and they will point at their linking words. That is the trap. Cohesion is not a collection of connectors at the start of your sentences. It is whether a reader can glide through your essay without stopping to figure out how you got from one idea to the next. When it works, nobody notices it. When it fails, the essay feels like a pile of statements rather than an argument.
What the descriptor actually asks for
Coherence and Cohesion is one of the four equally weighted criteria explained in our scoring guide. At Band 7, the descriptor wants: 'logically organises information and ideas; there is clear progression throughout; uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be some under-/over-use.' Break that apart:
- Logically organises: the order of your ideas makes sense. A problem comes before the solution. A claim comes before the example. The examiner never wonders 'why is this here?'
- Clear progression throughout: every paragraph moves the argument forward. Nothing repeats. Nothing drifts. No filler.
- Range of cohesive devices used appropriately: you use some connectors, referencing words, and paragraph transitions, but none of them feel forced or mechanical. The word 'appropriately' is the whole test.
- Some under-/over-use: Band 7 tolerates a few places where cohesion is too thin or too thick. Band 8 tightens this further.
Cohesion is about the reader feeling guided, not about the writer feeling clever. A single well-placed 'this' often does more work than a paragraph introduced by 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'In addition'.
The invisible tools of real cohesion
Most of what holds an essay together is not a linking word. It is quieter, and it scores higher.
- Referencing: words like 'this', 'these', 'such', 'the former', 'the latter' that point back to an earlier idea without repeating it. 'This trend' is often better than 'The trend of increasing urbanisation.'
- Paragraphing: one central idea per paragraph, signalled by a topic sentence. When a paragraph starts, the reader knows exactly what it is about. When the next paragraph starts, the topic has clearly shifted.
- Logical order: sentences arranged so each one follows naturally from the last. You do not need a connector between every sentence if the logic carries itself.
BeforeCars cause pollution. Moreover, they cause traffic congestion. Furthermore, they are expensive to maintain. In addition, they are dangerous. Therefore, public transport is a better option.
AfterPrivate cars create several problems at once. They are a major source of urban air pollution, they clog city roads at peak times, and they are costly to run. Public transport eases all three pressures, which is why it warrants greater investment.
The Band 7 version uses one connector ('which is why') and the rest is held together by referencing ('they', 'all three pressures') and a natural sentence order.
How connectors actually hurt you
The mechanical stacking of connectors does not just fail to help. It actively signals Band 6 writing to the examiner. When every sentence opens with 'Firstly', 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', 'In addition', the essay reads as learned rather than argued. The Band 6 descriptor warns against mechanical use of cohesive devices. This is exactly what it means.
Our linking words guide covers which connectors to keep and which to drop. The short version: use a connector only where there is a real logical relationship, and never more than one per sentence. A misused 'nevertheless' costs more than a plain 'but' would.
Paragraphing is half your CC score
Coherence and Cohesion starts with paragraphs. If your paragraphs are clear, the examiner follows your argument without effort. If they are a wall of text with no visual structure, or if each paragraph contains three unrelated ideas, the CC score drops before the examiner even reads the linking words.
- One paragraph, one central idea. If you cannot summarise the paragraph in a single sentence, it has too many ideas.
- Start each body paragraph with a clean topic sentence. The reader should know the paragraph's point before reading the support.
- Leave a blank line between paragraphs. This is not just formatting. It is a visual signal that helps the examiner navigate your essay.
The Task 2 structure guide shows the four-paragraph plan that makes paragraphing automatic, so you can spend your mental energy on ideas instead of layout.
Linkers, paragraph order, topic sentences and referencing, each drilled separately, free.
Try the coherence drillsFix your CC in one practice session
Take an essay you have already written and do two things. First, underline every linking word. If more than roughly one in three sentences starts with a connector, cut half of them. Second, read only the first sentence of each paragraph. If those sentences alone tell you the whole argument, your paragraphing works. If they are vague or repetitive, rewrite them until each one stakes a clear claim.
If you want to see your Coherence and Cohesion scored against the descriptor, paste an essay into the grader and check the CC band against your other three criteria.