Referencing: pointing back without repeating yourself.
If linking words connect ideas, referencing and substitution stop you repeating them. This, these, the former, the latter, one, do so and simply leaving words out all point back to something already said. They are the other half of the Coherence and Cohesion mark, and the difference between writing that flows and writing that thuds the same noun again and again.
Why this matters. Cohesion is not only about linkers. The descriptor also rewards referencing and substitution used naturally, the devices that let you carry an idea across several sentences without naming it each time. Repeating “the government” five times in a paragraph reads as Band 6; replacing the later mentions with it, this policy or the latter reads as Band 7+. The catch is precision: a pronoun or a this with no clear thing to point back to confuses the reader and costs marks, so referencing has to be both used and unambiguous.
Four ways to point back to something instead of saying it again.
Each device replaces a repeated word with a shorter signal that the reader resolves from context. The skill is choosing the right one and making sure what it points back to is unmistakable.
Pronouns & demonstratives
it · they · this · these · those · such
Point back to a noun or a whole idea. It/they replace a noun; this/these can sum up an entire previous statement (“Prices rose. This worried buyers.”). Match number: this/these, that/those.
The council approved the plan. This surprised residents.
The former / the latter
the former = the first · the latter = the second
After naming two things, refer back without repeating them. The former is the one mentioned first, the latter the one mentioned second.
London and Bristol both appeal; the former is bigger, the latter cheaper.
Substitution: one / ones / do so
one · ones · do so · do too
Replace a noun with one/ones (“the old laptop” → “a new one”), or a whole verb phrase with do so (“visit museums, and I often do so”).
My phone is old, so I am buying a new one.
Ellipsis
leave out the understood words
Omit words the reader can recover from context. “Some prefer tea; others [prefer] coffee.” The gap is filled by what came before, so nothing is repeated.
She speaks French, and he does [speak French] too.
The error that undoes it all
The whole point is to be clear as well as economical, so the cardinal sin is the unclear reference: an it, they or this that could point to more than one thing. “The committee rejected the report, which annoyed the board. This was a mistake”, the rejection, the report, or the annoyance? Pin it down: “This decision was a mistake.” Adding a noun after this/these/such (this policy, these figures, such measures) is the simplest fix. And keep the former / the latter in order: the former is always the first thing named, never whichever feels closer.
What referencing reads like at each band.
At Band 5
The same noun is repeated again and again (“the government … the government … the government”), or pronouns are used so loosely that it is unclear who or what they mean. Referencing barely holds the text together.
At Band 6
Pronouns (it, they) are used, but reference is sometimes unclear, and the writer leans on repetition rather than demonstratives. This appears without a noun and leaves the reader guessing; the former / the latter are avoided or muddled.
At Band 7
A clear range, this/these with a noun, one/ones, the occasional the latter, used accurately so reference is rarely in doubt. Repetition is largely gone, and the text reads as connected rather than listed.
At Band 8+
Referencing, substitution and ellipsis all share the load, smoothly and unobtrusively (such measures, do so, the former). Reference is always clear, repetition is never needed, and the reader is guided without ever noticing the machinery.
What to reach for, and what it replaces.
Each device replaces a repeated word or phrase. Pick the one that fits what you are pointing back to, a single noun, a whole idea, one of two things, or a verb phrase, and keep the reference unambiguous.
| To point back to… | Use… | For example |
|---|---|---|
| A single noun | it / they / them | The report is long, but it is clear. |
| A whole idea or statement | this / that (+ a noun for clarity) | Fees rose sharply. This change deterred applicants. |
| A plural idea or set | these / those / such | Costs and delays grew; such problems are common. |
| The first / second of two | the former / the latter | Tea and coffee both sell; the former more so. |
| A countable noun (avoid repeating) | one / ones | The old policy failed, so they wrote a new one. |
| A whole verb phrase | do so / do too / does | Many recycle, and they should do so more. |
| Words already understood | ellipsis (leave them out) | Some agreed; others did not [agree]. |
A note on lexical cohesion. You can also point back by using a synonym or a more general word: “the new law … this legislation … the measure”. This keeps a topic alive without repetition and lifts lexical range at the same time, see vocabulary and cohesion →. For the connectors that signal relationships between ideas, see linking words →.
Twenty to drill.
Choose the best way to point back without repeating. Press Check answers for your score and the reason behind each one. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Reference, as people actually get it wrong.
17 real corrections on this point sit in the marking archive, across 9 first languages. Three of them, and the rule they produced.
Last night was a big breach in our test network
Last night there was a big breach in our test network
English uses it for weather, time and states (it is late) and there for existence (there is a breach).
I'll take some photos and show it with my friends
... and show them to my friends
The pronoun has to match the plural noun it points back to – photos is plural, so the pronoun is them, not it – and the verb is show ... to, not show ... with.
I felt modern city
I felt it was a modern city
English rarely drops a subject, and a reported impression needs its own clause: I felt [it was] a modern city.
English never lets a subject go missing, even when it carries no meaning at all – say the it and the there.
All 9 entries on pronouns are in the marking archive, filtered to this point, with the first language and the reason beside each.
You can name the devices. Keeping every reference clear while you write at speed is the work.
An unclear this or a stray it is invisible to the writer and obvious to the examiner, and it is exactly where Coherence and Cohesion marks slip.
In a lesson I flag every reference that could point two ways, show you where you are repeating a noun you could replace, and build the habit of pinning this to a clear noun. Lessons are £20 for fifty minutes, one to one, in proper British English; the first step is a discounted trial lesson. This page is adapted from the grammar chapter of the forthcoming PEG Guide to IELTS Speaking.