Writing Linkers

Starting an Essay / Introducing Ideas

(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

Adding Similar Ideas / Giving Additional Points

(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

Showing Contrast / Opposing Ideas

(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

Giving Examples

(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

Showing Cause & Effect / Results

(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

Giving Reasons

(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

Expressing Opinions

(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

Comparing Similarities

(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

Sequencing Ideas / Structuring Body Paragraphs

(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

Concluding / Summarising

(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

Showing Concession (Admitting the Other Side)

(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

Emphasising a Point

(Careful — don’t overdo)

• Indeed

• In fact

• Notably

• Particularly

• Especially

• Above all

• Most importantly

• It is worth noting that

• Significantly

• Undoubtedly

Don't

❌ 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