Cohesive Devices and Textual Coherence as Predictors of CET-4 Writing Performance: A Comparative Study
Abstract
This study investigates how Chinese university students use cohesive devices in CET-4 writing and how such use relates to writing
scores. Based on Halliday and Hasan's cohesion framework, twenty essays were selected from a larger set of 142 mock CET-4 compositions
written by non-English majors. Ten essays scored above 75 points and ten scored below 65 points. The essays were coded for conjunction, reference, ellipsis, substitution, lexical repetition, synonymy, antonymy, hyponymy, and collocation, and the two groups were compared through
independent-samples t-tests in SPSS. The results show significant differences in reference, lexical repetition, synonymy, and especially collocation, while conjunction, antonymy, and hyponymy do not significantly distinguish the groups. Ellipsis and substitution were absent. Qualitative observation further suggests that high-scoring essays achieve coherence through clearer semantic progression and more natural lexical
choices, whereas low-scoring essays often rely on formulaic transitions without adequate logical development. The findings indicate that
CET-4 writing instruction should move beyond transition-word practice and give more attention to lexical cohesion, collocational competence,
and discourse organization.
scores. Based on Halliday and Hasan's cohesion framework, twenty essays were selected from a larger set of 142 mock CET-4 compositions
written by non-English majors. Ten essays scored above 75 points and ten scored below 65 points. The essays were coded for conjunction, reference, ellipsis, substitution, lexical repetition, synonymy, antonymy, hyponymy, and collocation, and the two groups were compared through
independent-samples t-tests in SPSS. The results show significant differences in reference, lexical repetition, synonymy, and especially collocation, while conjunction, antonymy, and hyponymy do not significantly distinguish the groups. Ellipsis and substitution were absent. Qualitative observation further suggests that high-scoring essays achieve coherence through clearer semantic progression and more natural lexical
choices, whereas low-scoring essays often rely on formulaic transitions without adequate logical development. The findings indicate that
CET-4 writing instruction should move beyond transition-word practice and give more attention to lexical cohesion, collocational competence,
and discourse organization.
Keywords
Cohesion; Coherence; CET-4 writing; Writing instruction
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PDFReferences
[1] Cook, G. (1989). Discourse. Oxford University Press.
[2] Halliday, M. A. K., & Hasan, R. (1976). Cohesion in English. Longman.
[3] Hoey, M. (1991). Patterns of Lexis in Text. Oxford University Press.
[4] Hao, J. M. (2012). Cohesion and coherence in English compositions from the perspective of thematic progression. Young Writers.
[5] Zhang, W. (2010). Pedagogical implications of cohesion and coherence theory for English writing teaching. Journal of Teaching and
Management.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.70711/neet.v4i8.9949
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