WritingGuide
IELTS Linking Words That Help, and Ones That Hurt
Linking words help when each one shows how two ideas connect. They hurt when they are added by habit. This guide helps you pick a word by its job and compares what Writing and Speaking reward.
What the descriptors ask for
IELTS does not ask for a set count of linking words. The Writing criterion rewards linking words that do a job.
A linking word can mark a stage, such as the start or the end. It can also show how two ideas relate.
This guide says "linking words". The Writing band descriptors use "cohesive devices". The Writing key criteria use "discourse markers", and the Speaking descriptors use "discourse markers" and "connectives". Linking words are one part of cohesion, and coherence and cohesion covers the rest.
Pick the word by its job
Choose the job first, then the word. This table groups some common linking words by job. It was written for this page and is not a list from IELTS.
| Job | Examples | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Add an idea | also, in addition | The new idea is a separate point, not a repeat. |
| Show a contrast | however, although | The second idea goes against the first, or is true despite it. |
| Give a reason | because, since | One idea explains why the other happened. |
| Show a result | so, as a result | The first idea causes the second. |
| Give an example | for example, for instance | The example is one case of the point before it. |
| Mark a stage | first of all, in conclusion | The reader needs to see where a part starts or ends. |
"However" usually starts a new sentence. "Although" joins two parts of one sentence. If you cannot name the job, leave the word out. The sentences can follow each other without a link, and the order of the ideas can show the connection.
What each band rewards, in Writing and Speaking
The wording is similar in both skills. Overuse lowers the band at 5 and 6, and band 7 needs flexible use.
| Band | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | "some use of basic cohesive devices, which may be inaccurate or repetitive" | links simple sentences, "often with repetitious use of connectives" |
| 5 | "There may be limited/overuse of cohesive devices" | "overuse of certain discourse markers, connectives and other cohesive features" |
| 6 | "used to some good effect", but cohesion "may be faulty or mechanical due to misuse, overuse or omission" | "a range of spoken discourse markers, connectives and cohesive features though not always appropriately" |
| 7 | "a range of cohesive devices including reference and substitution is used flexibly but with some inaccuracies or some over/under use" | "flexible use of spoken discourse markers, connectives and cohesive features" |
source: ielts.org source: ielts.org
Linking words hurt when they are wrong, repeated or added by habit. A word with the wrong job is misuse. The same few words in every sentence is overuse. Even band 7 allows some overuse and some underuse.
Check one paragraph at a time:
- Circle every linking word in the paragraph.
- Next to each one, write the job it does from the table above.
- Delete any word whose job is already clear from the ideas, and fix any word that has the wrong job.
If the meaning is still clear, the words you deleted were not needed.
Linking words in Speaking
Linking words have two uses in Speaking. They guide the direction of your ideas, and they give you time to think source: IDP.
Use a short phrase to plan your next idea, but not the same one every time. Record one spoken answer on your phone, write it down and run the three steps again.
Fluency and coherence in Speaking explains the whole Speaking criterion. For a plan across all four Writing criteria, see the Writing improvement plan. The Writing marking criteria hub links a guide for each one. To see how your Writing or Speaking band moves your overall band, use the band score calculator.
The Writing wording comes from ielts.org's Writing key assessment criteria and Writing band descriptors. The descriptors were updated in May 2023, and the criteria carry no date. The Speaking wording comes from its Speaking band descriptors, which carry no date. The two uses of linking words in Speaking come from IDP's article on linking words, dated 19 May 2023. All were last checked on 14 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How many linking words do I need?
No. Too many is the problem, because overuse lowers the band at 5 and 6. None of the descriptors or articles we read gives a number. Use a linking word when it does a job.
- Written by
- Compass IELTS Editorial Team, the team behind the Compass IELTS band score tools and practice tests
- Published
- Sources
- Words in a quote box, and sentences just before a source link such as ielts.org, come from the test owners. Everything else is our explanation. Facts about the test come from official sources, linked where we use them. Read our editorial policy.
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