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Improve your IELTS Academic Writing score

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Last activity on May 24, 2023
  1. WELCOME TO IELTS ONLINE WRITING
    Welcome to Improve Your IELTS Academic Writing
  2. Meet Your Course Trainers
  3. Course Overview
  4. Using the Platform
  5. ABOUT THE IELTS WRITING TEST
    Learning Outcomes
  6. Check Your Knowledge
  7. Band Descriptors
  8. Test Format
  9. TASK 1
    Learning Outcomes
  10. Check Your Knowledge
  11. Overall Structure
    5 Topics
  12. Types of Visuals
    4 Topics
  13. Paragraph Structure
    8 Topics
  14. Organisation and Logic
    3 Topics
    1. Ordering Ideas
    2. Language Focus: Clauses
    3. Language Focus: Cohesion
  15. Practice
    5 Topics
  16. Lesson Summary
  17. TASK 1 IMPROVE YOUR SCORE
    Task Achievement
    2 Topics
  18. Coherence and Cohesion
    2 Topics
  19. Lexical Resource
    2 Topics
  20. Grammatical Range and Accuracy
    2 Topics
  21. Lesson Summary
  22. TASK 2
    Learning Outcomes
  23. Check Your Knowledge
  24. Overall Structure
    5 Topics
  25. Question Types
    4 Topics
  26. Paragraph Structure
    12 Topics
  27. Organisation and Logic
    3 Topics
  28. Practice
    5 Topics
  29. Lesson Summary
  30. TASK 2 IMPROVE YOUR SCORE
    Task Response
    2 Topics
  31. Coherence and Cohesion
    2 Topics
  32. Lexical Resource
    2 Topics
  33. Grammatical Range and Accuracy
    2 Topics
  34. Lesson Summary
  35. COURSE CONCLUSION
    Overall tips
  36. Congratulations on Completing the Course
Improve your IELTS Academic Writing score Organisation and Logic Language Focus: Cohesion
Lesson 14, Topic 3
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Lesson 14
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Language Focus: Cohesion

Coherence and Cohesion: Pronoun Referencing and Linkers

This is the second part of the lesson about Coherence and Cohesion. In the previous lesson, you learnt about clause structure and how to link ideas together. In this part of the lesson, you will look at two techniques to create cohesion in your essay: pronoun referencing and linking phrases.

Pronoun referencing

Another way to create cohesion in your writing is through the use of pronoun referencing. This is the use of pronouns to refer to ideas and nouns in your writing. Here are some pronouns that are commonly used in Task 1 and 2:

   Personal pronounshe, him, she, her, it, they, them, their
   Demonstrative pronounsthis, these, that, those
   Relative pronounswhich, who, where

For example:

Referring back to a specific noun:

  •  In the first step of the process, the potatoes are delivered to the factory. They are then cleaned and peeled.
  • The aluminium is melted down to create new aluminium cans. These cans are then sold in shops and vending machines.
  • After it has been soaked, the material passes through a machine which flattens it.
  • The beans are then transported to a factory where they are roasted.

Referring back to a whole action:

  • Limestone and clay are both passed through a crusher. This creates a fine powder, which is then heated.
  • In the process the water is filtered and treated, which makes it safe to use as drinking water.

To learn more about pronoun referencing, download this PDF.

Have a look at the example question and model response below. The pronouns in this model response are in bold. What is each pronoun (1-11) referring to?

The diagram below shows the postal voting process.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

1. This diagram illustrates how to cast a postal vote.  The process has 6 main steps, starting with the application to receive a ballot paper, and ending with casting the vote and posting the ballot paper.

 To begin, an application to vote via post must be requested and then completed. 2. This can be done on paper or online. Following 3. this, 4. those 5. who have applied for a postal vote receive 6. their ballot paper two weeks before the election. The ballot paper is sent to the address specified by the recipient.

The next part of the process involves completing the ballot paper. To do 7. this, the person casting the vote needs to fill in the ballot paper in the presence of a witness 8. who signs and dates the paper. Once 9. this has been finalised, the next step is casting the vote. In 10. this step, the voter chooses the candidate 11. they prefer by ticking the appropriate box. Finally, after the vote has been cast, the ballot paper is placed in a prepaid envelope and posted.

Linking phrases 

In the previous part of the lesson, you learnt about linking words and phrases. These are phrases that show relationships between ideas. They can express relationships such as time, sequence, addition, contrast, details, and examples.

Look again at the model answer. Can you find linking phrases that express these relationships?

This diagram illustrates how to cast a postal vote.  The process has 6 main steps, starting with the application to receive a ballot paper, and ending with casting the vote and posting the ballot paper.

To begin, an application to vote via post must be requested and then completed. This can be done on paper or online. Following this, those who have applied for a postal vote receive their ballot paper two weeks before the election. The ballot paper is sent to the address specified by the recipient.

The next part of the process involves completing the ballot paper. To do this, the person casting the vote needs to fill in the ballot paper in the presence of a witness who signs and dates the paper. Once this has been finalised, the next step is casting the vote. In this step, the voter chooses the candidate they prefer by ticking the appropriate box. Finally, after the vote has been cast, the ballot paper is placed in a prepaid envelope and posted.

Review Your Knowledge

Lesson 14, Topic 3
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