The Ties That Bind: Exploring Coherence and Cohesion in the Academic Writing of Ghanaian High School Students

Proficiency in English is a prerequisite for Ghanaian Senior High School graduates seeking admission into tertiary institutions, yet nearly 50% fail to meet this requirement. This study explores the use of cohesive devices in academic writings (essays) by Assin North Senior High Technical School (Assin North SHTS) final-year students. The study employs a descriptive design. A qualitative approach was utilized, and 105 final-year students were selected through a simple random sampling method. Students’ written texts in mock examinations were used as data sources and were analyzed for their frequency of use of reference, conjunction, ellipsis, substitution, and lexical devices. The findings reveal significant differences between essay types in the use of linguistic ties with conjunction and reference highest in frequency. Informal essays achieved an overall higher average mark (24/50) compared to formal essays (24/50) and story writing (23/50). Successful essays employed a balanced variety of cohesive devices while weaker essays relied heavily on limited types such as conjunctions. Equally striking was a complete absence of ellipsis across all essays in line with previous literature illustrating it in academic writing. The study identifies a need for explicit instruction regarding linguistic ties to enhance writing quality and coherence levels, particularly in high school. This study contributes to the literature on L2 writing in cohesion and also provides insights into curriculum development in an attempt to prepare candidates adequately to fulfill the demands of academic writing in subsequent years.