IELTS Linking Words: How to Use Cohesive Devices Without Overdoing It

Linking words — also called cohesive devices or connectors — are one of the most misunderstood parts of IELTS Writing. Candidates memorise long lists of "advanced" connectors, then stuff them into every sentence believing this signals a higher band. In reality, examiners are trained to spot the mechanical, overused linking that actually lowers your score. This guide explains what cohesion really means, which devices to use, and how to make your writing flow without sounding like a template.

What examiners are actually marking

Linking words fall under Coherence and Cohesion, one of the four equally weighted criteria in both Writing tasks, each worth 25% of that task's band (the others being Task Response/Achievement, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy). Crucially, the band descriptors reward the logical progression of ideas first, and connectors second. The Band 7 descriptor specifically warns against over-use or under-use of cohesive devices, and it is over-use that trips up most candidates aiming for 7.

In other words: a paragraph whose ideas already follow one another logically needs very few connectors. Cohesion is not a layer of words you sprinkle on top — it is the underlying order of your thinking made visible.

The categories that cover almost everything

You do not need fifty connectors. You need a reliable handful in each function and the judgement to know when a sentence needs none. Here are the categories that matter:

• Adding a point: in addition, furthermore, moreover, also.
• Contrast: however, on the other hand, nevertheless, whereas, while.
• Cause and effect: as a result, consequently, therefore, because of this.
• Giving examples: for instance, for example, such as, a case in point.
• Sequencing: first, then, finally (use sparingly — mostly in Task 1 process descriptions).
• Concluding: in conclusion, to sum up, overall.

Notice how ordinary most of these are. "However" and "for example" are fine at Band 8. Reaching for "notwithstanding" or "in light of the aforementioned" does not raise your band; it raises the risk of using the word wrongly, which costs you under Lexical Resource instead.

Cohesion is more than connectors

The highest-scoring writing links ideas in ways that have nothing to do with "linking words" at all. Three techniques do the heavy lifting:

1. Referencing. Use pronouns and words like this, these, such, and it to point back to earlier ideas: "Governments subsidise public transport. This encourages…" The word "this" links two sentences more smoothly than "Moreover" ever could.
2. Substitution and synonyms. Refer to the same idea with varied wording — "cars" then "these vehicles" — so your writing coheres without repetition.
3. Topic sentences. Starting each body paragraph with a clear controlling idea is itself a cohesive device: it tells the reader what the whole paragraph is about before you develop it.

The over-use trap, shown

Compare two versions of the same point.

Over-linked (Band 6 feel): "Firstly, cars cause pollution. Moreover, they create traffic. In addition, they are expensive. Furthermore, therefore, governments should act. However, on the other hand, people like them."

Natural (Band 7–8 feel): "Cars are a major source of urban pollution, and their sheer number clogs city roads at peak times. Running one is also costly. For these reasons, many governments now discourage car use — though drivers value the convenience too much to give it up easily."

The second version uses fewer connectors, links ideas through meaning and reference, and reads like a person thinking, not a checklist. That is exactly what the Band 7+ descriptors reward.

Practical rules that keep you safe

• One connector per idea, not per sentence. If two connectors sit close together ("Furthermore, therefore…"), delete one.
• Do not start every sentence with a linker. Vary sentence openings; many should begin with the subject.
• Punctuate correctly. "However" at the start of a sentence takes a comma after it; it cannot join two independent clauses with only a comma before it.
• Avoid speech-only connectors. "Well," "anyway," and "plus" are too informal for the essay.
• Never let a memorised phrase replace an idea. Templated openers padded with connectors read as off-topic and hurt Task Response.

Drill it, then check it

The fastest way to fix over-linking is to write a paragraph, then cross out every connector you can remove without losing the meaning — you will usually delete a third of them. Practise on authentic prompts from our IELTS Writing Questions page, then run your draft through the free AI IELTS essay checker to see where your cohesion reads as mechanical, and convert your practice results with the band score calculator so you can watch cleaner linking lift your Coherence and Cohesion score. Get this balance right — logical order first, a light touch of connectors second — and cohesion stops being a weakness and becomes one of the easiest marks to secure.