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A library of Band 7+ linking phrases (no 'firstly, secondly')

3 min read · writing · vocabulary · linking · task-2 · band-7

A linking phrase is just a transition that names a relationship between two ideas. Most students learn ten of them in school — "firstly," "however," "in conclusion" — and stop there. Examiners see the same ten in 90% of Band 6 essays, which is exactly why those essays don't move up.

This page is a working library. Pick five you don't already use, memorise them, and put them in your next essay.

Addition (and what kind of addition)

Plain "Furthermore" or "Moreover" works, but it's blunt. These pinpoint the kind of addition you're making:

  • Adding evidence in the same direction: "What is more striking..."
  • Adding a corollary: "This implies, in turn, that..."
  • Adding a related but distinct point: "A separate but connected issue is..."
  • Stacking severity: "More gravely still..."
  • Strengthening with weight: "Crucially, this also means..."

Examiner ear: a Band 7 writer doesn't repeat the same "Furthermore" three times. Each addition gets the linking phrase it deserves.

Contrast (and how strong)

Not all contrasts are the same strength. Match the phrase to the relationship:

  • Soft pivot: "That said..." / "Even so..."
  • Direct opposition: "By contrast..." / "Conversely..."
  • Concession then push: "Granted, X — but Y is the larger force..."
  • Unexpected result: "Counterintuitively..." / "Despite this..."
  • Strong rebuttal: "The counter-argument is sharper than it appears..."

"However" is fine — use it for soft pivots. For real contrasts, reach for the stronger phrases.

Cause

  • "This stems from..." / "The root of the issue is..."
  • "Driven by..." / "Largely a function of..."
  • "What underpins this is..."

These read like the writer has thought about the mechanism, not just asserted the cause.

Consequence

  • "As a result..." / "Consequently..." — fine but tired.
  • Better: "The knock-on effect is..." / "This sets up..."
  • "The end result, predictably, is..."
  • "In the long run, this..."
  • "What follows from this is..."

Note the small adjustments — "predictably," "in the long run" — those words signal you've actually thought through the consequence chain.

Emphasis

  • "Crucially..." / "Significantly..."
  • "What stands out is..." / "Of particular importance is..."
  • "The decisive point is..."
  • "Perhaps more telling..."

Use these sparingly — examiners flag emphasis-stacking ("Crucially, significantly, what stands out is...") as artificial. One emphasis phrase per paragraph is the natural ceiling.

Qualification (hedging without weakening)

Band 9 writers hedge a lot — but their hedges qualify, they don't weaken. The difference matters.

  • "In most cases..." (not all)
  • "Generally speaking..." (admits exceptions)
  • "For the majority of..."
  • "Tends to..." (admits variance)
  • "Broadly speaking..."

A weak hedge sounds like the writer isn't sure: "Maybe it is sometimes the case that..." A strong hedge sounds like the writer has thought about the edge cases: "In most industries this holds; in regulated sectors, the picture is more complex."

Concluding (anything but "In conclusion")

  • "On balance, the evidence suggests..."
  • "Taken together, these factors point to..."
  • "What this comes down to is..."
  • "The weight of evidence sits with..."
  • "Bringing these threads together..."

"In conclusion" isn't wrong — it's just the cliché. Examiners read 500 essays a week that open the conclusion with it. Stand out.

How to drill these in one week

Day 1: Pick one category above (start with contrast). Write five sentences using five different phrases from it.

Day 2: A different category. Same drill.

Day 3-4: Continue.

Day 5: Write a full essay with at least one phrase from each category. Don't force it — see where it falls naturally.

By the end of the week, three or four of these will be permanently in your vocabulary. That's the bar.

What examiners are not looking for

Two warnings before you stack your essay with linking phrases:

  1. Don't link every sentence. A paragraph with seven sentences and six linking phrases sounds artificial. Aim for one or two strong transitions per paragraph.
  2. Don't reach for impressive linkers when simple ones fit. Using "Notwithstanding this state of affairs..." where "Even so..." would do is exactly the kind of "over-use" Band 7 descriptors warn against.

The goal is appropriate variety — not maximum density.

Grade your linking phrases

BandCheck's per-criterion feedback flags repeated and inappropriate linking phrases directly. Run your next essay through it and see which patterns the bot picks up: t.me/bandcheck_bot.