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How to create coherent in IELTS
Conjunctions are words used to link words, phrases or clauses.
Some common conjunctions are and, but and or.
Conjunctions Linking Words
and, but and or
Use 'and' to link words that are similar.
"We buy fruit and vegetables at the grocery store."
"The president visited towns and cities across the country."
"The house is warm and comfortable."
Use 'but' to link words that are different and do not normally go together.
"He works quickly but neatly."
"The teacher is firm but fair with the children."
"The musicians are young but very talented."
"The weather was sunny but cold. "
Use 'or' to talk about choices.
"You can have a soda or lemonade."
"Would you like pasta or rice?"
"Who is cooking the dinner, Mom or Dad?"
"Does the sauce taste sweet or sour? "
Conjunctions Linking Phrases
Use the conjunctions and, but and or to link phrases.
"We like going shopping and visiting museums."
"I tell my parents and my best friend all my secrets."
"Some of my toys are dirty and a bit broken."
"The car is very old but still very reliable."
Conjunctions with Lists
Use the conjunctions "and" and "or" with lists of words. Remember to put a comma between the words. Then use and "or" or "between" the last two words.
"We bought milk, eggs, cheese and butter."
"My favourite teachers are Mr. Lee, Mrs. Carter and Mr. Park."
"In the morning I get up, take a shower, eat breakfast and brush my teeth."
"Kathleen didn’t have any paper, pens or pencils. "
Conjunctions that Join Sentences
Conjunctions are also used to join two sentences to make them one. Here are some examples with and, but and or.
"Mom is working in the garden. Dad is busy in the kitchen."
"Mom is working in the garden and Dad is busy in the kitchen."
"Sam is playing football. Eric is reading a book."
"Sam is playing football and Eric is reading a book."
"I switched on the TV. There were no interesting programs on."
"I switched on the TV, but there were no interesting programs on. "
Conjunctions of Time
The conjunctions before, after, since, until, when, while, as and as soon as are used to say when something happens. They are called conjunctions of time.
"Take the toy out of the box before you throw the box away."
"Before you leave the house, be sure that you’ve got your backpack."
"I usually do my homework after I have my dinner."
"After I went to bed, I heard a strange noise downstairs. "
Conjunctions of Place
The conjunctions where and wherever are used to talk about places. They are called conjunctions of place.
"Does anybody know where Mr. Carter lives?"
"Where the road is narrow, big trucks can’t get through."
"The dog follows Andrew wherever he goes. "
Conjunctions of Reason
The conjunctions because, since, as and in case tell why someone does something. They are called conjunctions of reason.
"I sat down because I was feeling tired."
"Because we arrived late, we missed the beginning of the play."
"I took an apple since it was the only fruit in the bowl. "
Conjunctions of Purpose
The conjunctions so, so that and in order to tell what the purpose of something is. They are called conjunctions of purpose.
"Let’s write down the address so we don’t forget it."
"We left early so that we wouldn’t be late."
"John took a map so that he wouldn’t get lost."
"I hid the comics under the bed so that nobody could find them."
"She goes jogging every morning in order to keep fit."
IELTS Essay Writing Coherence:
Your writing coherence is important because you are marked on this as part of the IELTS grading.
Your work is coherent if it is easy to read and follow your ideas.
One way to improve the coherency of your writing is to use transition words to guide the reader through what you are saying.
Here are examples of common transition words that will improve your writing coherence, and their meanings:
COMMON TRANSITION WORDS
Listing Points to Show New Ideas:
Firstly,
First of all,
To begin,
Secondly,
Finally,
Furthermore,
In addition,
Also,
Moreover,
Showing an Example:
For example,
For instance,
To illustrate,
A case in point,
Showing Contrast:
However,
On the other hand,
In contrast,
Showing a Result:
Therefore,
As a result,
Consequently,
Thus,
Showing time: (commonly in essay introductions)
These days,
Nowadays,
At present,
To introduce concluding comments:
To conclude,
In conclusion,
In brief,
All in all,,
Here is an example of them in use in an essay:
Some people believe the aim of university education is to help graduates get better jobs. Others believe there are much wider benefits of university education for both individuals and society.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
These days, more and more people are making the choice to go to university. While some people are of the opinion that the only purpose of a university education is to improve job prospects, others think that society and the individual benefit in much broader ways.
It is certainly true that one of the main aims of university is to secure a better job. To begin, the majority of people want to improve their future career prospects. Attending university is one of the best ways to do this as it increases your marketable skills and your attractiveness to potential employers. For example, in Europe, further education is very expensive for many people, so most would not consider it if it would not provide them with a more secure future and a higher standard of living. Also, universities have their reputation to consider. They definitely want to ensure that their students are going to get the best jobs as this will affect future funding and university applications.
However, there are other benefits for individuals and society. Firstly, the independence of living away from home is a benefit because it helps the students develop better social skills and improve as a person. Many students, for instance, will have to leave their families, live in halls of residence and meet new friends. As a result, their maturity and confidence will grow enabling them to live more fulfilling lives. Secondly, society will gain from the contribution that the graduates can make to the economy. We are living in a very competitive world, so countries, especially developing countries, need educated people in order to compete and prosper.
To conclude, I believe that although a main aim of university education is to get the best job, there are clearly further benefits. If we continue to promote and encourage university attendance, it will lead to a better future for everyone.
How to use the words in sentences to create coherent in IELTS
As you now know, transition words are used to guide a reader through your writing and to make it more coherent. The better your writing coherence, the easier it will be to follow your arguments in your essay.
One important point though before we go on. If you over use transitions they can make your writing look slightly mechanical as very good writers will need to use them less as they will have the ability to cleverly guide someone through their writing without them.
It is quite a high level skill though. So it really depends on your ability. If you are at a lower level of writing, you should make more use of them as they will make it easy for the examiner to follow your ideas.
If you have more sophistication in your writing, you may not want to use them too much or it could affect your style.
If you are unsure, it probably means you need to be using them! We'll now go on to look further at how some of them are used.
Most of these transition words are used in the same way in sentences and are followed by a subject and verb.
1) Full-stop, capital letter, comma
There are many ways to improve congestion. For example, some cities in The Netherlands have pedestrian only city centres.
Many countries have now reduced their CO2 emissions. As a result, there is now less pollution.
OR
2) Semi-colon, small letter, comma
There are many ways to improve congestion; for example, some cities in The Netherlands have pedestrian only city centres.
Many countries have now reduced their CO2 emissions; as a result, there is now less pollution.
Varying Position and Use of Transition Words
However, you do not want to use these words too ‘mechanically’ so you should vary their position, and don’t repeat the same word too often. You can vary the position with the following transitions:
1) Giving Examples
You can vary your use of ‘for example’ and ‘for instance’ by moving them to after the first phrase of the sentence or to after the subject or verb.
There are many ways to improve congestion. Some cities in The Netherlands, for instance, have pedestrian only city centres.
There are many ways to improve congestion. Some cities in The Netherlands have, for instance, pedestrian only city centres.
2) Giving a Contrast or Result
Similarly, you can place contrast or result transitions further down the sentence:
Tokyo now has a Sky Train. Traffic problems, as a result/therefore/as a consequence, have decreased significantly.
These can also be joined to the previous sentence with the conjunction 'and’:
Tokyo now has a Sky Train, and, as a result/therefore/as a consequence, traffic problems have decreased significantly.
Note: you cannot join it to another sentence without ’and’:
Tokyo now has a Sky Train, as a result, traffic problems have decreased significantly. - this is incorrect.
3) Listing Points
These can also be varied. For example:
Firstly, an advantage of a new public transport system is that it will reduce traffic congestion.
Again, to improve your writing, you should vary the way you use these. They can be changed so they are no longer a transition but become part of the subject:
The first advantage of a new public transport system is that it will reduce traffic congestion.
This lesson has shown how you can use transitions to improve your writing coherence.
Make sure you find out more about these transitions so you know how to use them correctly, then practice using them in your writing.
