100 Linking Words for IELTS for Writing & Speaking, 2026

IELTS Band 9 Guide: Boost Coherence with 100 High-Value Linking Words in 2026

Are you stuck at Band 6.0 or 6.5 in IELTS Writing or Speaking in 2026? The missing piece of the puzzle is often Coherence and Cohesion. This criterion makes up 25% of your total score.

Examiners aren’t just looking for big vocabulary; they are looking for flow. They want to see that you can connect your ideas logically, naturally, and precisely.

Below is your ultimate toolkit: 100 high-value linking words and phrases, categorized by function, with simple meanings and exam-ready sentences to help you sound like a native speaker.

Why linking words matter in IELTS

Boost your IELTS score with a comprehensive list of 100 linking words and discourse markers, grouped by function (cause/effect, contrast, concession, exemplifying, concluding). Each entry includes a plain-English meaning and an IELTS-style sample sentence to help you apply connectors accurately in Writing Task 2 and Speaking.

Learn when to use formal connectors for essays and academic responses and more natural phrases for Speaking Parts 1–3, so your ideas flow logically and sound native. Practice these linking words in timed essays and speaking drills to improve coherence and cohesion and raise your band score.

Study tip for IELTS Linking Words

Practise a small group of connectors every day — for example, five cause/effect and five contrast phrases — and try them in a 2-minute speaking answer or a short Task 2 paragraph. For quicker revision, download printable flashcards, save the “10 must-use” phrases for each function, and complete short mock answers using those connectors. Scroll down for the full list, examples, and quick exercises designed to take you from basic to advanced use.

100 linking words grouped by function (tables for each group)

These are 100 useful linking words / phrases / discourse markers grouped by function (cause/effect, contrast, concession, exemplifying, concluding). For each item you’ll get a short meaning and an IELTS-style sentence that shows how to use it.

Cause / Effect (20 linking words)

Linking word / phrase	Meaning	IELTS-style sentence
because	for the reason that	Many people moved to the city because employment opportunities were greater.
since	as a result of / because	Since public transport improved, car ownership has declined.
as	because / since	As the population ages, healthcare demand is rising.
due to	caused by	School closures occurred due to severe flooding.
owing to	because of	Owing to budget cuts, the program was scaled back.
thanks to	because of (positive)	Thanks to government subsidies, renewable energy use increased.
in view of	considering / because of	In view of recent data, the policy will be revised.
caused by	produced by / resulting from	The decline in biodiversity was caused by habitat loss.
as a result (of)	therefore / because of that	Internet access expanded and, as a result, e-learning grew rapidly.
consequently	therefore / as a consequence	The factory closed; consequently, unemployment rose.
therefore	for that reason	Productivity fell, therefore managers introduced new incentives.
thus	therefore / in this way	The experiment failed thus prompting further research.
hence	for this reason	Demand dropped, hence prices were reduced.
result in	lead to / cause	Poor planning can result in traffic congestion.
give rise to	cause to happen	Rapid urbanisation gives rise to housing shortages.
bring about	cause / produce	Investment in infrastructure brought about economic growth.
resulting in	which leads to	The drought persisted, resulting in crop failures.
so	therefore / as a consequence	The company cut costs, so services were reduced.
for this reason	therefore	The evidence was inconclusive; for this reason the trial continued.
thereby	by that means / thus	They reduced emissions, thereby improving air quality.

Contrast (20 linking words)

Linking word / phrase	Meaning	IELTS-style sentence
but	however / on the other hand	The initiative was popular, but it lacked funding.
however	nevertheless / but	The policy had benefits; however, it was costly.
nevertheless	in spite of that	Some services were expensive; nevertheless, people used them.
nonetheless	despite that	The study was small; nonetheless, results were useful.
on the other hand	contrastingly	Urban life is convenient; on the other hand, it can be stressful.
whereas	while (contrast)	Rural areas have low pollution whereas cities face high levels.
while	although / whereas	While technology increases efficiency, it can reduce jobs.
in contrast	by contrast	In contrast to last year, employment has improved.
conversely	the opposite is true	High wages attract workers; conversely, low wages cause migration.
despite	regardless of	Despite the high cost, attendance remained steady.
in spite of	despite	In spite of protests, the plan passed.
although	even though	Although the evidence is limited, the policy was adopted.
even though	despite the fact that	Even though taxes increased, consumption did not fall.
instead	as an alternative	Rather than expanding highways, the city invested in cycling lanes instead.
rather than	instead of	The government prioritized education rather than defense spending.
alternatively	as another option	Alternatively, commuters could use bus rapid transit.
yet	nevertheless / but	The idea is promising, yet implementation is slow.
still	nevertheless	The proposal is risky, still it deserves consideration.
by comparison	when compared	By comparison, the northern region showed faster growth.
on the contrary	opposite to a previous statement	Some claim unemployment is falling; on the contrary, it is rising.

Concession (20 linking words)

Linking word / phrase	Meaning	IELTS-style sentence
although	despite the fact that	Although the scheme is expensive, it may be necessary.
even though	despite the fact that	Even though benefits exist, uptake has been low.
though	although / however	The method is imperfect, though it remains useful.
despite the fact that	in spite of the fact that	Despite the fact that evidence is mixed, action is required.
granted that	although it is true that	Granted that technology is costly, it offers long-term gains.
admittedly	it must be acknowledged	Admittedly, the sample size was small.
it is true that	expressing agreement before disagreeing	It is true that traffic causes pollution, but public transport can help.
while it is true that	concession phrase	While it is true that energy costs are rising, efficiency reduces bills.
even if	despite a hypothetical situation	Even if wages rise, poverty may persist without training.
in spite of	despite	In spite of improvements, inequality remains high.
for all that	despite that	The policy had flaws; for all that, it improved services.
although this may be the case	conceding then qualifying	Although this may be the case, the overall benefits outweigh the costs.
that said	nevertheless / having said that	The plan is promising; that said, more testing is needed.
having said that	despite what was just said	Prices are high; having said that, quality has improved.
be that as it may	regardless / nevertheless	Be that as it may, we must consider alternative solutions.
even so	nevertheless / despite that	The forecast was optimistic; even so, caution is wise.
all the same	despite that / nevertheless	The scheme had critics, but all the same it proceeded.
nonetheless	despite that	The project overran its budget; nonetheless, results were positive.
while	although (used to concede)	While critics raise valid points, the proposal is workable.
despite	even with / regardless of	Despite strong opposition, the reforms were implemented.

Exemplifying / Illustrating (20 linking words)

Linking word / phrase	Meaning	IELTS-style sentence
for example	to show one example	Many countries have green taxes; for example, Sweden introduced a carbon tax.
for instance	to give an instance	For instance, children in urban schools often lack outdoor space.
such as	including / like	Renewable sources such as wind and solar are growing quickly.
e.g.	for example (abbrev.)	Many nations (e.g. Japan and Germany) have aging populations.
namely	specifically	Two factors are critical, namely education and infrastructure.
to illustrate	to show with an example	To illustrate, consider a city that banned cars from the center.
a case in point	a clear example	A case in point is the success of community gardens in reducing food insecurity.
take the example of	consider the example of	Take the example of Singapore, which invested heavily in public transport.
including	among others / such as	Health services, including mental health support, must be funded.
particularly	especially / notably	Students benefit from online resources, particularly those in remote areas.
specifically	in a specific way	The policy targeted small businesses, specifically those under five employees.
notably	especially worth mentioning	Notably, women’s participation in the workforce has increased.
as an illustration	as an example	As an illustration, recycling rates rose after awareness campaigns.
consider	think about as an example	Consider the rise of telemedicine during recent years.
to give an example	to provide an example	To give an example, several cities have introduced congestion charges.
such is the case with	this happens with	Such is the case with coastal towns facing sea-level rise.
illustrated by	shown by / demonstrated by	The trend is illustrated by rising smartphone ownership.
one example is	a single example is	One example is the bike-sharing scheme that reduced commuting times.
chiefly	mainly / primarily	The reform benefited young people chiefly through training programs.
markedly	noticeably (used when illustrating change)	Employment in the sector increased markedly, as illustrated by new job figures.

Concluding / Summarising (20 linking words)

Linking word / phrase	Meaning	IELTS-style sentence
in conclusion	to finish / summarise	In conclusion, investment in education is essential for growth.
to conclude	to finish / summarise	To conclude, the benefits of green transport outweigh the costs.
to sum up	to summarise briefly	To sum up, the plan promotes fairness and efficiency.
in summary	to summarise	In summary, evidence points to positive long-term effects.
overall	on the whole	Overall, the policy improved quality of life.
all in all	taking everything into account	All in all, the reform was successful despite minor setbacks.
on balance	considering pros and cons	On balance, the advantages exceed the disadvantages.
ultimately	in the end	Ultimately, consumer behaviour will determine the policy’s success.
finally	at the end / lastly	Finally, stakeholders must be consulted before implementation.
in short	briefly	In short, action is both necessary and urgent.
in a nutshell	briefly / simply	In a nutshell, investment today saves costs tomorrow.
to wrap up	to finish	To wrap up, governments should prioritise prevention.
taking everything into account	considering all factors	Taking everything into account, the proposal seems viable.
in closing	at the end	In closing, further research is recommended.
to summarize briefly	to give a short summary	To summarize briefly, community engagement is crucial.
as has been shown	as demonstrated above	As has been shown, education correlates with higher incomes.
for these reasons	therefore / because of this	For these reasons, the scheme deserves support.
all things considered	after considering everything	All things considered, the benefits are compelling.
on the whole	generally speaking	On the whole, policies that combine incentives and regulation work best.
to draw a conclusion	to finish by concluding	To draw a conclusion, sustained investment is required.