In this module
Cambridge Veritas · Original TESOL self-study resources
Module overview
A text must make sense as a message and guide a reader through its parts. Cohesion draws attention to the language that connects those parts; coherence draws attention to the ideas and their organisation. Analyse a short complete text so these two dimensions stay connected. Learners can then revise for a reader, checking reference, logical relationships and the information needed to achieve the text’s purpose rather than only adding connectors.
Use the guides below to connect the core ideas with practical teaching decisions. Each guide contains a classroom example, an application task and a sample response. Work through the whole module, or choose a topic for a lesson you are preparing.
Explore the topics
Cohesion and coherence
Cohesion concerns visible links between parts of a text. Coherence concerns whether the message makes sense as a whole. Adding more linkers cannot repair an argument whose ideas do not connect logically.
Read the guide & try the taskReference words and clear pronouns
Pronouns and determiners can connect a text and avoid unnecessary repetition. The reader still needs a clear referent. When two people or objects could be intended, repeating a name or noun may improve clarity.
Read the guide & try the taskLexical cohesion and word families
Texts connect ideas through repeated key words, related vocabulary and broader terms. Uncontrolled synonym replacement can distort meaning. Teach learners to notice how a writer maintains a topic while introducing new information.
Read the guide & try the taskEllipsis and substitution
Some language can be omitted or replaced when the surrounding text makes it recoverable. Learners need to identify what is understood. This matters for comprehension as well as concise writing and natural conversation.
Read the guide & try the taskLinkers and logical relationships
Connectors can signal contrast, addition, cause, result or sequence. Teach the relationship and the grammatical pattern together. A sentence connector and a conjunction may express related meanings but behave differently in punctuation and clause structure.
Read the guide & try the taskGenre, purpose and text organisation
A genre brings expectations about purpose, audience and organisation. A complaint, story and report need different kinds of information. Model analysis should reveal how the text helps its reader rather than prescribe one layout for every situation.
Read the guide & try the taskPutting the module into practice
- 01
Identify the text’s purpose, intended reader and overall message before looking at individual links.
- 02
Trace reference, lexical connections and logical relationships using a short passage.
- 03
Compare a clear version with one containing an ambiguity or organisational problem and discuss the reader’s difficulty.
- 04
Revise or create a new passage, then ask a reader to explain the message and locate essential information.
Support and extension
Use short passages, visible referent links and a simple organisation map before working on longer texts.
Compare two plausible text organisations and justify which serves a particular audience more effectively.
Check your understanding
Plan a teaching task
Choose one guide from this module. Use its classroom scenario or adapt the task for a group you know.
- Learners and purpose: Describe the context and what learners need to do.
- Success criterion: State one observable outcome.
- Procedure: Plan the setup, model, learner task and feedback.
- Support and extension: Include a way into the task and an extra challenge.
- Evidence and reflection: Decide what to observe and what would make you change the plan.
Module questions
Where should I begin with this module?
Identify the text’s purpose, intended reader and overall message before looking at individual links.
How can I make the work accessible?
Use short passages, visible referent links and a simple organisation map before working on longer texts.
How can I go beyond the first attempt?
Compare two plausible text organisations and justify which serves a particular audience more effectively.
Sources and authorship
This module maps to the supplied syllabus PDF, Text and discourse (4 pages). The study notes, examples, application tasks and self-checks on these pages are original Cambridge Veritas resources.
View the supplied PDF ↗ · Publication reference: source chapter
Written by Cambridge Veritas. Updated .
Use these resources for preparation and reflection. Browser self-check results are for personal study and do not award a qualification or replace observed teaching practice.