IELTS Writing for High school students: How to Fix Overused linking words such as 'however' and 'moreover'
Use linkers where the logic needs them, not at the start of every sentence. Show relationships with sentence structure and reference words first, and keep explicit linkers for real contrasts, additions and results.
At a glance
- For
- High school students
- Problem
- Overused linking words such as 'however' and 'moreover'
- Scoring criterion
- Coherence and Cohesion
- Task affected
- Task 1 and Task 2
- IELTS test
- Academic
- Typical effort
- about one week
- First step
- Circle every linker in your last essay and delete those that do not mark a real change of direction.
Why this happens to high school students
Candidates learn lists of connectors and insert one in every sentence. The examiner reads this as mechanical, and the Coherence and Cohesion descriptors penalise over-use of cohesive devices.
Why this affects high school students: essays at school are marked for content, so grammar and cohesion are less practised.
Paragraphing is often inconsistent.
A strength to build on: Younger learners can build good writing habits and improve steadily with regular practice.
Fix it in four steps
- Circle every linker in your last essay and delete those that do not mark a real change of direction.
- Join related ideas with subordinating clauses (although, because, which) instead of starting a new sentence with a connector.
- Use 'this' plus a noun ('this trend', 'this policy') to refer back, which links ideas without a connector.
- Limit yourself to one new linker per paragraph.
Before and after
Before
Moreover, cars are expensive. Furthermore, parking is limited. In addition, fuel costs are high.
After
Cars are expensive to own because of high fuel costs, and limited parking makes them harder to use in cities.
Ten-minute drill: Take a paragraph with five linkers and rewrite it with only two. Check the meaning stays clear.
Questions and answers
How can high school students fix overused linking words such as 'however' and 'moreover'?
Use linkers where the logic needs them, not at the start of every sentence. Show relationships with sentence structure and reference words first, and keep explicit linkers for real contrasts, additions and results. Paragraphing is often inconsistent.
How long does it take high school students to fix overused linking words such as 'however' and 'moreover'?
Most learners need about one week. Exam season competes with school, so plan around timetables and use short drills.
Are linking words bad for the score?
No. Accurate, varied linkers help. The problem is mechanical over-use, where every sentence begins with one.
Which linkers are safest to keep?
Simple ones used for a clear purpose: 'however' for contrast, 'for example' to introduce an example, 'as a result' for consequence.
What does a good practice drill look like for high school students?
Take a paragraph with five linkers and rewrite it with only two. Check the meaning stays clear. Exam season competes with school, so plan around timetables and use short drills.
How can high school students tell they have fixed overused linking words such as 'however' and 'moreover'?
No more than one sentence in four starts with a linking word, and the paragraph still reads logically.
What should high school students know about their IELTS Writing target?
Students applying to overseas universities need the score named in their offers. Start early, because Writing often takes the longest to improve.
Should high school students practise this on Task 1, Task 2 or both?
It shows up in both tasks. Fix it in Task 2 first, because Task 2 carries about twice the weight of Task 1, then check Task 1 with the same checklist. Younger learners can build good writing habits and improve steadily with regular practice.
Can an AI checker help high school students with overused linking words such as 'however' and 'moreover'?
An AI checker can show where this pattern appears in your own essay and which criterion it affects, which makes the fix concrete. It gives a practice estimate, not an official IELTS score, so use it to choose the next revision, rewrite, and check again. The first check on this site is free.
Check your own essay
See where overused linking words such as 'however' and 'moreover' appears in your own writing and which criterion it affects, then rewrite the weakest paragraph.
Feedback is a practice estimate, not an official IELTS score. Last reviewed 2026-11-11. Score requirements change, so confirm them with the organisation that will read your result.
Related guides
- IELTS Writing for high school students: overview
- High school students: ideas that are listed but not developed
- High school students: weak paragraphing and essay structure
- High school students: repeating the same words from the question
- High school students: sentences that all have the same simple structure
- High school students: essays that finish under the minimum word count
- High school students: unclear pronouns and reference words
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