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Which of these texts do you prefer and why?

A.

While Japan is the world leader for recycling plastics, that has not always
been the case. It recycled less than 40% of plastic waste in 1996 in
comparison to the current figure that stands at just over 75%. The change
has come about partly as a result of legislation and partly from a clearly
focussed educational programme. Several laws requiring businesses and
consumers to separate plastic waste have been brought into effect since
1997. Those measures have been supplemented with a series of public
service advertisements explaining the benefits of separating out plastic.

B.

Nowadays, Japan is the world leader for recycing plastics and on average
slightly over three quarters of plastic waste is recycled. Notwithstanding the
fact that there was only a modest increase in this figure from five years
previously, it represented a massive improvement in comparison to 1996
when less than 40% of waste was recycled. Nevertheless, the change has
come about partly as a result of legislation and partly from a clearly focussed
educational programme. In addition, businesses and consumers are now
required to separate plastic waste in accordance with a series of laws that the
government has introduced since 1997. Consequently, the authorities have
subsidised a series of public service advertisements which explain the
benefits of separating out plastic.
 Dominic Cole’s IELTS Blog
www.dcielts.com

Teacher bit

Concept

Cohesion (and coherence) are more than linking words. There are 2 parallel
texts. Variant A works well, while variant B works less well and relies on
misused linkers for cohesion.

Possible routine

Ask students to choose which text they prefer and why. If you prefer, you can
ask which is more cohesive or which was the original.

Typically, the students will choose the wrong text (B). In my experience, 75%
get it wrong.

Ask students to look again and consider the linking words. Are they used
correctly?

Now ask students to look at text A. Ask how sentences link to one another.
Possible supplementary questions are:

• Is there any word in this sentence that “links/matches” any word in the
previous sentence?

• Are the words used exactly the same, similar or completely different?

• How does each sentence begin? With new information or old information?

Follow up activity

A chain writing activity. One student writes one sentence, passes it to the next
student who writes the next sentence etc. A possible rule is that each
sentence must begin with some reference to the previous sentence.

It helps to give the students a topic they are already familair with - the goal is
cohesion.

The texts produced are likely to be messy and quite possibly unfinished but
should help raise awareness of cohesion.
 Dominic Cole’s IELTS Blog
www.dcielts.com

Variation A

1. How you start sentences

Each sentence begins with a reference to something from the previous

sentence (within 5/6 words of the bginning of the sentence)

Old information comes first, new information comes later

While Japan is the world leader for recycling plastics, that has not always
been the case. It recycled less than 40% of plastic waste in 1996 in
comparison to the current figure that stands at just over 75%. The change
has come about partly as a result of legislation and partly from a clearly
focussed educational programme. Several laws requiring businesses and
consumers to separate plastic waste have been brought into effect since
1997. Those measures have been supplemented with a series of public
service advertisements explaining the benefits of separating out plastic.

2. Topic strings

There should be some consistency in the psychological subjects of the

sentences (these may be slightly different from the grammatical subjects).
The idea is that it makes it easier to read a para, if sentences have similar
subjects

In a way this is similar to 1. above. You should get your subjects as close to
the beginning of sentences as possible and you shouldn’t vary those subjects
too much.

While Japan is the world leader for recycling plastics, that has not always
been the case. It recycled less than 40% of plastic waste in 1996 in
comparison to the current figure that stands at just over 75%. The change
has come about partly as a result of legislation and partly from a clearly
focussed educational programme. Several laws requiring businesses and
consumers to separate plastic waste have been brought into effect since
1997. Those measures have been supplemented with a series of public
service advertisements explaining the benefits of separating out plastic.
 Dominic Cole’s IELTS Blog
www.dcielts.com

3. Reflected vocabulary

Vocabulary is of course one of the most effective ways of achieving cohesion.

Key word: consistency. Key idea: consistency includes variation

While Japan is the world leader for recycling plastics, that has not always
been the case. It recycled less than 40% of plastic waste in 1996 in
comparison to the current figure that stands at just over 75%. The change
has come about partly as a result of legislation and partly from a clearly
focussed educational programme. Several laws requiring businesses and
consumers to separate plastic waste have been brought into effect since
1997. Those measures have been supplemented with a series of public
service advertisements explaining the benefits of separating out plastic.

4. “Grammatical” structures

Not a furthermore in sight. Look for pronouns and articles. Comparisons/

contrasts work well too as do parallel structures.

While Japan is the world leader for recycling plastics, that has not always
been the case. It recycled less than 40% of plastic waste in 1996 in
comparison to the current figure that stands at just over 75%. The change
has come about partly as a result of legislation and partly from a clearly
focussed educational programme. Several laws requiring businesses and
consumers to separate plastic waste have been brought into effect since
1997. Those measures have been supplemented with a series of public
service advertisements explaining the benefits of separating out plastic.
 Dominic Cole’s IELTS Blog
www.dcielts.com

Variation B

Nowadays, Japan is the world leader for recycing plastics and on average
slightly over three quarters of plastic waste is recycled. Notwithstanding the
fact that there was only a modest increase in this figure from five years
previously, it represented a massive improvement in comparison to 1996
when less than 40% of waste was recycled. Nevertheless, the change has
come about partly as a result of legislation and partly from a clearly focussed
educational programme. In addition, businesses and consumers are now
required to separate plastic waste in accordance with a series of laws that the
government has introduced since 1997. Consequently, the authorities have
subsidised a series of public service advertisements which explain the
benefits of separating out plastic.

Linking words

Students are almost certain to focus on these “structures”. Are they used
correctly?

Notwithstanding the fact that - probably ok.

Nevertheless - doesn’t work. There is no contrast between this sentence and

the previous one.

In addition - doesn’t work, this is not an additional point. What we need here
is “For example”: this laws in this sentence refer back to legislation in the
previous sentence.

Consequently - doesn’t work. This sentence is not a consequence of the

previous sentence.