IELTS Writing criteria
IELTS Coherence and Cohesion
One of the four IELTS Writing criteria, worth a quarter of every task. It rewards how logically your ideas progress and how naturally you link them, not how many connecting words you can fit in.
In short
- Coherence is logical progression of ideas; cohesion is the devices that link them on the page.
- Band 7 needs clear progression and a range of cohesion with only occasional lapses.
- Each paragraph should carry one central idea; over-used linkers are penalised, not rewarded.
What Coherence and Cohesion actually measures
Coherence is the bigger half: does your essay move from point to point in an order the reader can follow without re-reading. Cohesion is the surface signposting that holds it together: linking words, reference words, pronouns, and the way one sentence picks up the previous one. The examiner reads for both at once, so a Task 2 essay can be full of connectors and still score low if the underlying ideas jump around.
Three things drive the band: logical organisation, paragraphing where each paragraph develops one central idea, and cohesive devices used naturally rather than mechanically. Reference and substitution carry a lot of the work. Instead of repeating "the government" five times, a band 7 writer uses "it", "this policy", or "such measures" so the text flows. Compare a weak link, "Pollution is bad. Moreover, cars cause pollution," with a cohesive one, "Cars are a major source of this pollution, which is why traffic policy matters." The second connects the ideas through meaning, not a bolted-on adverb.
Band 6 versus band 7 in practice
Most writers sit at band 6 not because they lack linkers but because they over-use them and because their paragraphs hold more than one idea. Band 6 descriptors note arrangement that is "generally" coherent and cohesion that is sometimes mechanical, faulty, or over-used. Band 7 asks for clear progression "throughout", a range of cohesive devices used appropriately, and clear central topics in each paragraph. The table below shows the shift on the moves examiners look for.
| Move | Band 6 habit | Band 7 version |
|---|---|---|
| Linking ideas | "Firstly, Secondly, Moreover, Furthermore" stacked at every sentence start | Linkers chosen for meaning: "as a result", "by contrast", "in such cases" |
| Paragraph focus | One paragraph touches three loosely related points | One central idea per paragraph, named in a topic sentence |
| Avoiding repetition | "The internet" repeated in full every sentence | Reference words: "it", "this technology", "such platforms" |
| Progression | Ideas appear, then an earlier point is restated later | Each paragraph builds on the last toward a clear position |
| Conclusion | New idea introduced in the final lines | Draws the main points together with no new content |
A reliable paragraph shape
Coherence becomes much easier when each body paragraph follows a predictable internal order: topic sentence naming the central idea, an explanation of why it matters, a specific example, and a sentence that ties back to the question. This gives the examiner the clear progression the band 7 descriptor asks for, and it stops the common band 6 fault of a paragraph that wanders across several points.
For Task 1, coherence works at the level of the report: a clear overview after the introduction, then grouped detail that follows the data logically rather than listing every figure in random order. The same four criteria apply to both tasks, so the linking and grouping skills you build here lift Coherence and Cohesion on the Academic chart description and the General Training letter alike.
Coherence and Cohesion FAQs
What is Coherence and Cohesion in IELTS Writing?+
Coherence is how logically your ideas connect and progress; cohesion is the linking devices that signal those connections. It is one of the four IELTS Writing criteria, worth 25% of each task's score, alongside Task Response, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range & Accuracy.
What does the examiner want for band 7 Coherence and Cohesion?+
Band 7 needs clear logical progression throughout, a range of cohesive devices used appropriately with only occasional lapses, and clear central topics in each paragraph. Mechanical or over-used linkers, or paragraphs with no single controlling idea, hold scores at band 6.
Do linking words improve my Coherence and Cohesion band?+
Only when used accurately and sparingly. Stacking 'Firstly, Moreover, In addition, Furthermore' is penalised as mechanical and over-use. Natural cohesion uses reference words, pronouns, and varied linkers that fit the meaning, not a checklist of connectors.
How important is paragraphing for Coherence and Cohesion?+
Very. Each body paragraph should develop one central idea with a clear topic sentence. Missing paragraphs, or paragraphs that mix several unrelated points, are a direct band limiter because the examiner cannot follow a logical progression.
Can a teacher tell me why my Coherence and Cohesion is stuck?+
Yes. A human IELTS teacher marks against the four criteria and shows exactly where progression breaks, where linkers are mechanical, and which paragraphs lack a central idea, then rewrites weak passages so you can see the band 7 version.