Coherence and Cohesion In IELTS Writing

Collegedunia Team

Dec 13, 2021

Coherence and Cohesion are an integral part of IELTS Writing. And is one of the scoring criteria for IELTS Writing. Coherence and cohesion will help the candidate in maintaining the flow of ideas and the overall organization of thought in writing an essay. Let’s have a look at what exactly is Coherence and Cohesion.

Significance of Coherence and Cohesion in the IELTS writing

Coherence and cohesion are simply meant by the ability to present ideas logically and clearly. In the IELTS exam candidates should connect ideas logically to score good marks. Cohesion and coherence in writing will help in acquiring band 9 in the IELTS Writing Task 1 and Writing Task 2 of the IELTS exam. To maintain the flow of the passage, candidates should focus on the topic sentence. They should clearly state their principle throughout the passage which will impress the examiner. In the very first sentence, you should establish the main idea of the passage and stick to it throughout.

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COHERENCE

Coherence refers to the way in which your essay is organized methodically and the consistency with which you present your ideas. When you start writing your answer, your primary goal is to share your thoughts easily, yet the fact that the examiner is interested in how well the peruser can comprehend your viewpoint. Therefore, coherence constitutes the most important criterion for assessing your essay writing. Coherence can be maintained by isolating answers with various sections, using linking phrases to connect sections, and constructing a logical sequence with passages.

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COHESION

On the other hand, cohesion will help you connect words, which will help you connect thoughts. Similarly, it relates how a sentence is related to the structure of a passage and how a section is related to another to make an essay effective. Cohesion can be effectively kept by;

  • Focusing on single thought in one section and growing completely with a clarification.
  • Compile compound and complex sentences with appropriate punctuation.
  • Despite utilizing excessive connectors, associate your thoughts with syntax.
  • It's important to affirm that you don't stir up more than one thought in a response in order to make it strong. If everything else is equal, you should refer to one specific thought, elaborate it, and then support that thought with an appropriate guide.
  • Even though it is generally prudent to compose complex sentences for the IELTS writing task, consider them admirably. If you wish it to stand out, practice keeping an eye on the matter and using action words. Additionally, punctuation can help you outline complex sentences.
  • Provide an unmistakable and concise topic sentence for each section.
  • Each section should contain only one primary idea.
  • Provide precise clarification and a model to support your main thought.
  • Connect your thoughts using a mixture of connecting words and expressions.
  • Whenever possible, use pronouns and their equivalents to prevent repetition.
  • Finish the passage with a summary of all ideas.

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Coherence and Cohesion at a glance

Coherence and cohesion are terms used in IELTS Academic Writing Tasks 1 and 2. They refer to well-written sentences and relationships between concepts. There should be clear connections between sentences, paragraphs, and within sentences. For maintaining the connection the candidate can make use of some tools which includes;

  • Use of transition words and phrases

One of the most efficient strategies to boost your "Coherence and Cohesion" score is to use transition words effectively. As a result, learning a list of transition phrases can help you enhance your writing. You should learn as many of these as possible so that you can choose from a wide range of words and phrases when writing. As previously said, repeating the same terms lowers your score. It's also crucial to avoid using the same transition words over and over again. Also, don't use the same transition words or phrases multiple times in a paragraph. Make sure you only use them when absolutely necessary.

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  • Use of reference to avoid repetition of nouns

Reference is one of the components of "Coherence and Cohesion," which refers to the capacity to correctly and appropriately employ numerous pronouns. It will assist you in achieving good grades.

For example;

My best friend taught me how to fly kites. It takes a long time to learn everything.

‘It ‘refers to "How to fly kites" thus the repetition of words is avoided.

Goa is one of my favorite places in the world. And I'd like to bring my buddies with me here.

"Here" refers to ‘the state of Goa’.

Referencing assists you in avoiding the unnecessary use of a noun. You don't have to say the same thing over and over again if you use references. Even more importantly, it connects your thoughts and ideas by arranging your phrases. As you write, practice using pronouns and look for pronoun errors as you revise your work.

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  • Use of substitution to avoid word repetition

Substitution refers to the use of at least one word to replace (substitute) for a previously used word in the text. Syntactically, it's similar to reference words, with the main difference being that substitution is usually limited to the statement that comes after the word(s) being substituted, but reference words can refer to anything in the text. Words like do, have, and we are the most commonly used words for substitution.

For example;

Ram always brings us back chocolates when he travels. He brought some Belgian ones from his last trip, which were delicious.

By substituting with the word ‘ones’ the repetition of the word ‘chocolate’ is avoided.

  • Overall organization and structure of the essay

The overall association of your answer is a final key component of your "Coherence and Cohesion" score. Each area of your essay addresses a specific requirement, so make sure all of your sections are well-developed. Your parts should be consistent in their organization, and your thoughts should flow in a logical order, beginning with one sentence and ending with the next. This includes using progress words and referring to (as discussed above), but it also refers to the passage structure covered in IELTS Writing Task 1.

This article focuses on coherence and cohesion and which helps in maintaining "Coherence and Cohesion” throughout your essay. By making use of the tips mentioned, improve your Coherence and Cohesion band score on the IELTS Writing Task 1 and Task 2.


 

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

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