In this lesson, we’ll be looking at language use in the IELTS exam. Like the last lesson, there are two parts to this class. The first one is going to look at using discourse markers and the next is going to look at how you can improve your vocabulary range.

Cohesive Devices

A cohesive device is a word or short phrase that is about organising your ideas instead of giving information. These are really important for your IELTS writing exam because they help your coherence and cohesion score. In fact, they are explicitly mentioned in the IELTS writing criteria.

Like many other parts of the IELTS exam, it’s better to know a few discourse markers really well than know lots not particularly well. The ones we are going to look at here all go at the start of a sentence and end with a comma. I’ve deliberately kept the list quite short and focused on the most flexible ones.

To give the order of your ideas or tell the reader where in your essay they are:

• First,
• Second,
• Finally,
• In conclusion,

To show an idea is linked to the previous idea:

• In addition,
• Furthermore,

To give cause and effect:

• Therefore,
• As a result,

To show contrasting ideas:

• However,
• Conversely,
• In contrast,

To give an example:

• For example,
• For instance,

To highlight a point:

• Especially,
• In particular,

Test your knowledge

Simply reading about these isn’t enough. You need to practice with them. You want to get into a habit of knowing where to add these so it’s good to look at essays and see where you can add them. Take a look at the essay below and add in cohesive devices where there is a gap. When you’re done, you can check your answer against mine at the bottom.

Children who are brought up in families that do not have large amounts of money are better prepared to deal with the problems of adult life than children brought up by wealthy parents. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

In recent years, some people have argued that children from an affluent background are not as well prepared to deal with being a grown-up as children who grow up less well off. __________, this essay will argue that the opposite is true. First, because wealthy families are able to spend more on their children’s education. __________, because they are likely to have social connections.

One reason children from wealthy backgrounds are better prepared for adult life is that they have more access to education. Their parents are more likely to be able to send them to an expensive school which often means smaller class sizes. _________ they are able to spend more of their time talking to and learning from adults which means they are better prepared for adult life. __________ their parents can afford for them to have tutors to teach them the skills they will need when they grow up. __________ a child might have a tutor to teach them cooking or how to manage their household finances.

_________, children from a privileged background are more likely to have access to social connections that can help them in adulthood. __________, if your parents are wealthy, you may be more likely to know people who are managers at a company. __________, when you are looking for a job, you can use those connections to make it easier for you. __________, knowing someone who runs a company can be of benefit for job applications.

__________, children from wealthy families not only have more access to education but also social connections. __________, I disagree that children from less well-off families are better prepared for adulthood.

How to practice cohesive devices

Next, you should evaluate your own essays. You want to get into a mindstate where you’re constantly looking for chances to include more cohesive devices in your essays. To do this, follow through this easy checklist.

1. Write or find an IELTS essay.
2. Underline all of the cohesive devices you’ve used in your essay.
3. Have another read through. Look for sentences that are missing cohesive devices (ones that don’t have anything underlined).
4. For each one, check if there is a discourse marker that could be added. If there is, rewrite the sentence with the discourse marker.
5. As you’re doing this, make a note of any discourse markers you are repeatedly forgetting to use and remember to make a special effort with these next time around. For example, if you’re not normally using ‘in addition’ or ‘furthermore’, remember that you’ve had an issue with it next time you’re writing an essay. 

By repeating this structure, you'll build up good habits with cohesive devices. If you have any questions, you can reply to this email or email [email protected]

Sample answer

This sample essay is one answer to the fill in the gaps exercise above. Remember there is more than one correct answer to each of these.

In recent years, some people have argued that children from an affluent background are not as well prepared to deal with being a grown-up as children who grow up less well off. However, this essay will argue that the opposite is true. First, because wealthy families are able to spend more on their children’s education and second, because they are likely to have connections

One reason children from wealthy backgrounds are better prepared for adult life is that they have more access to education. Their parents are more likely to be able to send them to an expensive school which often means smaller class sizes. As a result, they are able to spend more of their time talking to and learning from adults which means they are better prepared for adult life. In addition, their parents can afford for them to have tutors to teach them the skills they will need when they grow up. For example, a child might have a tutor to teach them cooking or how to manage their household finances.

Furthermore, children from a privileged background are more likely to have access to social connections that can help them in adulthood. For instance, if your parents are wealthy, you may be more likely to know people who are managers at a company. Therefore, when you are looking for a job, you can use those connections to make it easier for you. In particular, knowing someone who runs a company can be of benefit for job applications. In conclusion, children from wealthy families not only have more access to education but also social connections. Therefore, I disagree that children from less well-off families are better prepared for adulthood.