Why Overusing Connectors Can Lower Your IELTS Writing Band Score
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Shadi
- Score-Boosting Tips
🌱 Many IELTS students believe that using lots of linking words automatically boosts their Coherence and Cohesion score. But examiners can always tell when those connectors are forced, repetitive, or unnecessary, and that can actually lower your band score.
Let’s look at why this happens and how you can sound more natural and fluent instead.
1. What Are Connectors and Why Do We Use Them?
Connectors (also called linking words) show how ideas relate to each other.
Common examples include Firstly, However, Therefore, As a result, In addition, and On the other hand.
They’re essential for guiding your reader, but like spices in cooking, too much can spoil the dish.
2. Why Overusing Them Hurts Your Score
Examiners are looking for smooth, natural flow, not memorized templates. When you use too many connectors, your writing can:
- Sound mechanical or artificial
- Become repetitive (Moreover… In addition… Furthermore…)
- Break the rhythm of ideas that already connect logically
- Show a limited range of sentence structures
Example:
❌ Moreover, children like cartoons. In addition, they watch them every day. Furthermore, cartoons are funny.
✅ Children enjoy cartoons and often watch them every day because they find them funny.
3. How Many Is Enough?
A good balance:
- Around 2–3 connectors per paragraph in Writing Task 2
- Use variety, not repetition
- Let your grammar and logic do part of the linking, not just phrases like moreover or therefore
4. Sound More Natural with These Alternatives
You can keep your writing cohesive without overloading connectors. Try:
- Pronouns: this, that, these, it
- Cause–effect verbs: lead to, result in, cause
- Contrast clauses: while, although, despite
- Parallel patterns: one reason is…, another is…
These small changes make your writing flow naturally and show control which would be a key part of Band 7+ writing.
🎁 The Bottom Line
Using connectors wisely shows maturity and precision. You don’t need to eliminate them, just use them when they truly help your reader.
It’s not always easy to notice when your writing sounds forced or overly structured. Therefore, doing a writing mock test and receiving feedback can help you see where your connectors feel natural, and where they start to get in the way.
