Onterra TutorShould growing cities build roads or invest in public transport?
TOEFL iBT writing question in the official format, with a full model answer and notes on why it scores. Write your own version below it and get an instant rater-style score.
The question
Your professor is teaching a class on urban planning. Write a post responding to the professor's question. In your response, express and support your opinion and add to the discussion in your own words. A strong response has at least 100 words.
Professor Adeyemi: Cities around the world are struggling with traffic congestion. Some governments respond by building more roads, while others invest in public transport instead. In your view, which approach should a growing city prioritise, and why?
Marta: I think building roads is more practical. Buses and trains take years to plan, but a new road helps drivers almost immediately, and most families in my country still rely on cars.
Kenji: I disagree. More roads simply invite more cars, so the congestion returns within a few years. Reliable public transport moves far more people using far less space.
Model answer
I side with Kenji here, because road building solves the wrong problem. Marta is right that a new road helps immediately, but that relief is exactly what attracts more drivers, and within a few years the jams return at a larger scale. Public transport is slower to build, yet it changes the arithmetic of the city permanently: one rail line can move as many people as a ten-lane highway using a fraction of the land. I would add a point neither student raised, which is fairness. In most growing cities the majority cannot afford cars at all, so every naira or rupee spent on roads serves a minority, while buses and trains serve everyone, including the drivers who finally get clearer roads.
Why this answer scores
- Takes a clear side immediately and names the students it engages with, which is exactly what the rubric rewards.
- Adds a genuinely new argument (fairness and who owns cars) instead of repeating the discussion.
- Stays around 120 words with varied sentence structures and precise vocabulary like 'arithmetic of the city'.
Do not memorise model answers; raters recognise recycled essays instantly. Study the moves, then make them with your own ideas, and check where you stand with a scored practice.
Onterra Tutor is an independent practice tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ETS, which owns the TOEFL trademark.