Why Discourse Markers Boost Your Score

PTE Oral Fluency and IELTS Coherence & Cohesion scores reward well-connected speech and writing. Using a range of conjunctions and discourse markers signals sophisticated language use.

Coordinating Conjunctions (FANBOYS)

Join two independent clauses: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So

• “The policy was introduced, but it had little effect.”
• “Emissions rose sharply, so new regulations were introduced.”

Subordinating Conjunctions

Function	Conjunctions
Cause / Reason	because, since, as, given that
Contrast	although, even though, while, whereas
Condition	if, unless, provided that, as long as
Time	when, while, before, after, once, until
Purpose	so that, in order that, to

Discourse Markers for Essays and Speaking

Function	Markers
Adding a point	Furthermore, Moreover, In addition, Besides
Contrasting	However, Nevertheless, On the other hand, Conversely
Giving examples	For instance, For example, Such as, Namely
Showing result	Therefore, Consequently, As a result, Hence
Concluding	In conclusion, To summarise, Overall, In short
Conceding	Admittedly, It is true that, While it is clear that

Common Errors

• ❌ “Despite of the rain, we continued.” → ✓ “Despite the rain,…” (despite ≠ despite of)
• ❌ “Although it was raining, but we continued.” → ✓ “Although it was raining, we continued.” (no “but” after “although”)
• ❌ Starting every sentence with “Moreover” — vary your connectors.