How to Use Linking Words Without Annoying Your Examiner
Overusing 'furthermore' and 'however' is a Coherence & Cohesion red flag. This guide covers which linkers to use, which to avoid, and how to vary them.
Open almost any Band 5–6 IELTS essay and you'll find the same handful of words carrying the entire structural load: 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', 'However', 'In addition', 'In conclusion'. They appear at the start of nearly every paragraph and sentence, creating a rhythm that examiners recognise immediately as formulaic — and penalise under Coherence & Cohesion.
The irony is that these candidates were taught to use linking words. The problem isn't that they're using them — it's how they're using them.
What the band descriptors actually say
The Coherence & Cohesion criterion at Band 6 reads: 'uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical'. The key word is mechanical. By Band 7 it changes to: 'uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be some under/over-use'.
The shift from 'mechanical' to 'appropriate range' is the target. Mechanical means using the same devices in the same position every time. Appropriate range means you vary both the devices and the techniques.
The three types of cohesion
Most candidates only use one type of cohesion: transitional adverbials ('Furthermore', 'However'). But there are two others that are equally important:
- 1Transitional adverbials — words/phrases that signal logical relationships (contrast, addition, cause, example)
- 2Reference devices — pronouns and demonstratives that link back to previous ideas (this, these, such, it, they)
- 3Lexical cohesion — using synonyms or related words to avoid repetition while maintaining the same topic thread
Band 7+ writing uses all three. Band 5–6 writing uses almost exclusively the first, and uses it repetitively.
The overused linkers — and their replacements
| Overused | Alternatives | When to use each |
|---|---|---|
| Furthermore / Moreover | Additionally, beyond this, what is more, a further consideration is, compounding this | Adding a point that builds on the previous one |
| However | Nevertheless, yet, that said, by contrast, conversely, despite this | Introducing a contrasting or qualifying point |
| Firstly / Secondly | One key factor is, a primary consideration, the most significant, turning to | Ordering multiple arguments or factors |
| In conclusion | Ultimately, in sum, taken together, on balance | Wrapping up an argument or essay |
| For example | To illustrate, a case in point, this is evidenced by, consider | Introducing a specific example |
Using reference devices effectively
Reference devices are underused by most candidates but are a highly natural cohesion tool. Instead of starting a sentence with 'Furthermore, technology has changed education', try using a pronoun or demonstrative that refers back to the previous point.
✗ Transitional adverbial only
Social media has negative effects on mental health. Furthermore, social media also reduces face-to-face interaction.
✓ Reference device
Social media has negative effects on mental health. This erosion of psychological wellbeing is compounded by its tendency to replace face-to-face interaction with passive digital consumption.
In the second version, 'This erosion of psychological wellbeing' refers back to the mental health effects mentioned in the previous sentence. No transitional adverbial needed — the reference device creates the connection.
Lexical cohesion: varying your reference to the same concept
One hallmark of Band 7 writing is avoiding repetition of the same noun by using synonyms and related terms that maintain the topic thread:
- technology → these innovations, digital advances, such developments, this shift
- young people → adolescents, this demographic, the younger generation, youth
- government → authorities, policymakers, the state, legislators
- problem → challenge, issue, concern, difficulty, predicament
The paragraph-level cohesion test
Read each paragraph aloud and ask: does the reader know how each sentence relates to the one before it? If the only way you've created that connection is by starting the sentence with 'Furthermore' or 'However', you're relying too heavily on transitional adverbials.
Try removing the transitional adverbial entirely. If the paragraph still flows logically, you didn't need it. If it doesn't — try replacing it with a reference device or restructuring the sentence so the connection is embedded rather than signposted.
Tip
Go through your last essay and highlight every 'Furthermore', 'However', 'In addition', and 'Firstly'. If you have more than 2–3 of these across the whole essay, you're over-relying on them. Replace at least half with reference devices or restructured sentences.
What good cohesion actually sounds like
✓ Band 7 cohesion — varied devices, no overuse
Remote working has fundamentally altered how organisations approach productivity measurement. Rather than monitoring hours worked, many companies now evaluate output — a shift that has, for many employees, reduced the anxiety associated with presenteeism. Yet this transition is not without complications. Managers accustomed to visibility-based oversight often struggle to trust processes they cannot directly observe, creating friction that can erode the very trust remote arrangements depend upon.
Notice what this paragraph does: it uses 'a shift that' as a reference device, 'yet' instead of 'however', 'this transition' to refer back, and 'the very trust' to echo a previous concept. Not a single 'Furthermore' in sight — and the cohesion is stronger for it.
Put this into practice
Submit an essay and get feedback on exactly the issues covered in this article — tracked across every session.
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