Short answer: linking words guide the reader between your ideas, but more is not better. Band 7+ cohesion feels natural, not bolted on. Learn a small set of accurate connectors for each function, and use them where the logic genuinely needs them.
✍️ Open Typehush and see natural cohesion in model essays →| To… | Use |
|---|---|
| Add a point | In addition, Moreover, Furthermore, Also |
| Contrast | However, On the other hand, Nevertheless, While |
| Give a reason | Because, Since, As, Due to |
| Show a result | Therefore, As a result, Consequently, Thus |
| Give an example | For example, For instance, Such as |
| Conclude | In conclusion, To sum up, Overall |
You don't need more than this. A confident, accurate set of connectors beats a long memorised list you deploy mechanically.
The IELTS band descriptors are explicit: at Band 7, cohesion is used "appropriately," while overuse or mechanical use of linking words is a feature of lower bands. Starting every sentence with "Moreover… Furthermore… In addition…" reads as a checklist, not an argument. Examiners are trained to notice this. The fix is to let some sentences connect through meaning — a pronoun ("this policy"), a repeated key idea, or simple sequence — rather than a signposting word.
Real coherence comes from three things working together: clear paragraphing (one idea per paragraph), reference (using "it," "this," "such measures" to point back), and logical order (each sentence follows from the last). Linking words are only the visible surface of that. An essay can flow beautifully with very few connectors if the underlying ideas are ordered well — and no amount of "Furthermore" rescues an essay whose ideas jump around.
A practical way to test your own cohesion is to delete every linking word from a paragraph and read it again. If it still makes sense and flows from one sentence to the next, your underlying structure is sound and the connectors were doing light, appropriate work. If it falls apart into disconnected statements, the linking words were propping up ideas that were never really joined — and adding more of them won't fix the real problem. Fix the order and the reference first; add connectors last, and only where a reader would genuinely stumble without them.
Over-linked: "Firstly, cars cause pollution. Moreover, they cause traffic. Furthermore, they are expensive. In addition, they are noisy."
Natural: "Cars are a major source of urban pollution, and the traffic they create adds hours to daily commutes. They are also expensive to run, which puts real pressure on lower-income households."
The second version links through meaning and reads like an argument, not a list.
You learn natural cohesion by absorbing it, not by memorising a list. Typing high-band model essays trains your ear for where a connector belongs and where the ideas simply flow on their own. Do that regularly and your linking stops sounding like a template. On the computer test, cleaner cohesion also makes your essay faster to proofread, since a well-ordered argument has fewer awkward joins to fix in your final minutes.
A few errors show up again and again. Comma splices — joining two full sentences with just a comma and "however" ("Cars pollute, however they are convenient") instead of a full stop or semicolon. Wrong register — "plus" or "what's more" are too informal for Task 2; use "in addition" or "moreover." Redundant stacking — "But however, on the other hand…" piles up connectors that mean the same thing. And mismatched logic — using "therefore" where there is no real cause-and-effect, or "however" where there is no genuine contrast. Each of these is a small error, but several together push you from Band 7 toward Band 6 on Coherence and Cohesion. The safest habit is to use one accurate connector where the logic needs it, punctuate it correctly, and trust the ideas to carry the rest.
Type all 156 Cambridge Band 6–8 model essays with live word count →Only as many as the logic needs — usually a handful. Overusing connectors or using them mechanically is a feature of lower bands, not higher ones.
Only when used appropriately. They are part of Coherence and Cohesion, but natural flow, clear paragraphing and reference matter more than the connectors themselves.
It is better to use "In addition" or "However" in formal writing. Save "and" and "but" for joining clauses within a sentence.
A small, accurate set is fine. Long memorised lists deployed mechanically read as unnatural and can lower your Coherence and Cohesion score.
Typehush — practise typing high-band IELTS model essays for the computer-based Writing test. Start practising · Model-essay library · Coherence & cohesion · Task 2 structure