Cohesion: making a text stick together

Initial thoughts

What is cohesion?
What are cohesive devices?

When you have selected the right extracts from your source material, you
can't just 'cut-and-paste' these together. The new text probably wouldn't
make much sense. You need to consider how to 'glue' these separate
elements together. You must ask:

• What order should the separate elements be placed in?

• How can they be linked?
• How can they be unified?
• What 'signposting' is used to guide the reader through the new
text?

TASK ONE
Read the text on the next page. It is a reference produced by a college for
a student applying for a university place under the UCAS system.
What different source texts might the tutor have drawn on to produce this
reference?
UCAS reference
Alison joined this sixth form from a local 11-16 school where she achieved some very sound
GCSE results. She was initially uncertain about her career intentions and decided to choose a
combination of four AS subjects which reflected her academic strengths and interests, whilst
keeping a wide range of options open. She made good progress in three of these, achieving
Grade C AS passes in English Language and History, and a D in Sociology, though she
narrowly missed achieving an E in Maths. Alison is continuing to make steady progress in her
chosen A2 subjects and we expect her to gain Grades C or D in all three (English Language,
History and Sociology). We also expect her to achieve Level 3 on Key Skills Communication,
and level 2 in IT and Application of Number.
Alison has developed her analytical skills in all her subject areas: in Sociology she can
evaluate research findings and understand their implications, whilst in English Language she
has gained a firm grasp of linguistic frameworks and how to apply them. She can also
analyse historical problems clearly and make effective use of primary sources. She is able to
organise her analysis clearly on paper, though on occasions her work on English has lacked
the necessary degree of precision and detail.
Alison's written work is thoughtfully prepared, generally thorough, and clearly presented. She
usually maintains a satisfactory level of technical accuracy, though on occasions her subject
staff remark that a level of carelessness creeps in. She has, however, acquired and uses
appropriately the specialist language required, especially in Sociology and English Language.
In oral discussions, she is gaining in confidence though is sometimes inhibited from
contributing to plenary discussions. Nevertheless, she is certainly capable of clear and
articulate speech.
It has been pleasing to note the gradual development in Alison as a student: initially, she was
rather hesitant and heavily reliant on her teachers for guidance. However, as she has matured,
she has become much more independent, and is now strongly self motivated. She works well
to deadlines and has been very reliable in terms of attendance and commitment. In History,
she has taken the opportunity of attending additional lectures as part of the college’s History
Society. She has worked particularly well on her individual investigation in English
Language, where she has studied and researched aspects of child language

Alison has worked hard to develop her Key Skills in all areas. Her communication skills are
satisfactory, and she has been attending additional IT workshops to extend her skills. Her AS
Maths [Statistics] course enabled her to extend somewhat her numerical skills. For wider
Key Skills, as part of the Enrichment programme, she has taken part in a community project
assisting old people.

Alison is a pleasant cooperative student who has made the most of her potential in the sixth
form. She can appear a little reserved at first but relates easily to both staff and students and
achieves a sensible balance between college work, her part-time job and her other interests. I
am sure she will go on to be a successful student in Higher Education.
TASK TWO
Look closely at the following extracts from some of the sources used.
Try to say what the writer has done with this material to create paragraph
2 of the finished text above.

Maths Alison has struggled to achieve a basic statistical

understanding and found solving problems difficult.
Without strong teacher guidance she was seldom able to
analyse data effectively.

English Language Alison has found the transition to AS work challenging but has
now developed an OK grasp of linguistic frameworks and how to apply them. Her
written work usually reveals some linguistic insight but is often rather waffly and
imprecise as she is slow to make proper use of specialist terminology.

Sociology Alison showed plenty of interest in this subject though at first

she trusted to anecdotal rather than properly informed insights.
However, now she has shown she has learned how to evaluate research
findings and understand their implications.

History Alison’s work is usually well organised and

clearly expressed, and she has learned to make effective
use of primary material to analyse historical problems.