7.1. Fluency and Coherence
Keep going, and make each sentence follow the last.
The short version
Fluency is whether you keep going.
Coherence is whether it hangs together.
Pausing to choose an idea is normal speech.
Stopping to hunt a rare word is what shows.
What the two words mean
Fluency is whether you keep going. Pausing to choose an idea is normal speech. Stopping to hunt for a rare word is what the examiner notices, so use the ordinary word and move on.
Coherence is whether the listener can follow. Use because, so, and this, not a stack of Moreover.
Same Part 1 question: Do you use public transport?
I use the bus. It is cheap. It is slow. I can read. Sometimes I walk.
I use the bus most weekdays. It is slower than a car, but I can read for twenty minutes and I do not have to park. I still walk if the stop is more than two changes away.
Do you use public transport?
I use the bus most weekdays. It is slower than a car, but I can read for twenty minutes and I do not have to park. I still walk if the stop is more than two changes away.
- CoherenceThe reason sits in the same sentence as the contrast. It is not a new topic.
- CoherenceA limit, not a second hobby. The listener can still follow the yes.
Coloured text shows what the examiner is looking for.
Quiz time1 question
Check
A different Part 1 question. Choose the more coherent answer.
Do you cook at home?
Recap
Fluency is keeping going. Use a word you know rather than hunt for a rare one.
Coherence is the listener being able to follow you.
Answer, give a reason with because, then add one exception.
Next: the words you choose, and why an exact one beats an impressive one.