(Task 2 introductions)
• To begin with
• In recent years
• Nowadays
• It is often argued that
• It is widely believed that
• There is a growing view that
• One common opinion is that
• In the modern world
• With the advancement of technology
• In today’s society
(Very common in body paragraphs)
• Moreover
• Furthermore
• In addition
• Additionally
• Not only … but also
• Another key point is that
• Equally important
• What is more
• Besides this
• Along similar lines
(Essential for “discuss both views” essays)
• However
• Nevertheless
• Nonetheless
• On the other hand
• In contrast
• By contrast
• Whereas
• While
• Although
• Even though
✔ Use however / nevertheless between sentences
✔ Use although / while / whereas within a sentence
(To support ideas — very important for Band 7+)
• For example
• For instance
• Such as
• In particular
• A clear example of this is
• To illustrate this
• This can be seen in
• One notable example is
• As demonstrated by
• A case in point is
(Common in problem–solution essays and Task 1)
• Therefore
• As a result
• Consequently
• Hence
• Thus
• This leads to
• This results in
• Due to this
• Owing to this
• Because of this
(Explaining why something happens)
• Because
• Since
• As
• Owing to
• Due to
• One reason for this is
• This is largely because
• This can be attributed to
• The main cause is
• This stems from
(Especially in opinion essays)
• In my opinion
• I believe that
• I strongly believe that
• From my perspective
• It seems to me that
• I am of the view that
• In my view
• Personally speaking
• I would argue that
• To my mind
(Useful in Task 1 comparisons)
• Similarly
• Likewise
• In the same way
• Just as … so too
• Comparable to
• Correspondingly
• In a similar manner
• Both … and
• Neither … nor
• Equally
(Logical flow — but avoid overuse)
• Firstly / Secondly / Finally
• To begin with
• In the first place
• Next
• Subsequently
• Following this
• After that
• Meanwhile
• Eventually
• At the same time
(Final paragraph in Task 2)
• In conclusion
• To conclude
• In summary
• Overall
• To sum up
• All things considered
• Taking everything into account
• On balance
• In short
• Ultimately
(Advanced cohesion — Band 7+)
• Although this is true
• While it is true that
• Despite this
• Admittedly
• Granted that
• Even so
• Having said that
• Nevertheless
• This may be true; however
• Despite these arguments
(Careful — don’t overdo)
• Indeed
• In fact
• Notably
• Particularly
• Especially
• Above all
• Most importantly
• It is worth noting that
• Significantly
• Undoubtedly
❌ Overuse: Moreover, Moreover, Moreover
❌ Start every sentence with a linker
❌ Use informal linkers like Besides that in formal writing
❌ Use linkers without punctuation control
✔ Quality > quantity