Glossary · Organisation
What is coherence in writing?
Coherence is whether a whole piece holds together as one clear, logical argument — not just whether each sentence is correct.
Coherence is the big-picture version of cohesion. A piece is coherent when its ideas are ordered logically, each paragraph has one clear job, and the reader always knows where the argument is going and why. You can have correct, well-linked sentences and still lack coherence if the paragraphs jump around or contradict each other.
The fastest way to improve it is planning: decide the order of your points before you write, and give each paragraph a single, clear purpose.
How markers see it
Markers judge coherence at the level of the whole response — a clear line of argument from introduction to conclusion.
See coherence on your own writing.
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