Half of the advice you were given is true
Linking words do help. That part is real. What nobody told you is the other half: using too many of them lowers your Coherence and Cohesion score. A paragraph that starts every sentence with Firstly, Moreover, Furthermore and In addition looks like a formula, not a line of thought, and an examiner spots that in three seconds. Here is where the line is.
5 linking-word habits to break
One linker per sentence
✕Firstly, cars cause pollution. Moreover, they cause traffic. Furthermore, they are expensive. In addition, they are noisy.
✓Cars cause pollution and heavy traffic. They are also expensive to run, and in crowded cities they are simply too noisy.
Four ideas, four labels, no thinking. The fixed version joins the ideas that belong together and lets one "also" do the work. Same content, better score.
The wrong linker
✕Public transport is cheap. Moreover, it is often crowded.
✓Public transport is cheap. However, it is often crowded.
Moreover adds a similar idea. However shows a contrast. Cheap and crowded pull in opposite directions, so "moreover" tells the reader the wrong thing. A wrong linker damages meaning more than a missing one.
Phrases that are too informal
✕Last but not least, in a nutshell, this is a big issue.
✓Finally, these changes matter for one clear reason.
Last but not least, in a nutshell, as we all know and besides all belong in speech, not in an exam essay. They cost you on tone, and they are memorized, so they show.
A linker with nothing behind it
✕Therefore, governments should act.
✓Because the cost falls on everyone, governments should act.
"Therefore" promises a conclusion from something you just proved. If you did not prove it, the word is empty. Say the reason instead, and the connection becomes real.
In conclusion, to sum up, in a word
✕In conclusion, to sum up, I believe that education is important.
✓Education, then, is the one investment that pays for every other.
One closing signal is plenty. Stacking three wastes words from a limited count and reads as padding. You can also close with no signal at all, if the sentence clearly sounds final.
3 ways to connect ideas without a linking word
1Repeat the key word
"Cities are growing fast. This growth puts pressure on housing." The repeated idea carries the reader forward. No label needed.
2Point back clearly
Use this problem, such changes, these families. It links the sentences and it proves you can handle reference words, which is part of the same score.
3Use a because, although, or which clause
"Although electric cars are cleaner, they are still out of reach for most families." The relationship is inside the sentence, so it is precise, and it counts as a complex structure for your grammar score too.
So how many should you use?
There is no official number, and anyone who gives you one is guessing. A safer test is this: read your paragraph and delete every linking word. If it still makes sense, you were using them as decoration. If it falls apart, they were doing real work and you should keep them. Most strong essays use a handful across the whole page, not one per sentence.
Read next
Keep going: 6 IELTS writing myths that lower your score and one essay shape that fits every Task 2 question.
Check how your paragraphs really flow
Flow is hard to judge in your own writing, because you already know what you meant. Write your next essay in VoyaLang and look at the Coherence and Cohesion feedback. It shows where the connection is doing real work and where a linking word is standing in for one, next to a stronger version of the same paragraph. Create a free account and check your next essay in about a minute.
