Should cities spend more money on public transport or on roads?
A strong Task 1 answer states the choice immediately, gives two supports or one support with an example, and lands its last word around forty seconds. Fifteen seconds of preparation is enough for the plan, not for the wording.
The prompt and the clock
Should cities spend more money on public transport or on roads?
15 seconds to prepare, up to 45 seconds to speak
A model answer at the right length
109 words — what 45 seconds actually holds.
Answer it yourself first
Record yours first. A memorised TOEFL answer is audible in the rhythm, and raters mark delivery, which is exactly what memorisation damages. Read this afterwards for the shape and the vocabulary.Public transport, and the argument is about geometry rather than about preference. A lane of road moves a limited number of people per hour, and a bus or train lane moves several times that in the same space, so in a dense city there is no amount of road building that solves congestion. There is also good evidence that added capacity fills up within a few years, which is why the same cities widen the same highways repeatedly. The one condition I would attach is that the transit has to be frequent enough to use without planning. A bus every forty minutes is not an alternative to a car.
The words that carry it
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
How to build the 45 seconds
- 1Choose and name the kind of argument you are making.
- 2Give the comparison that decides it.
- 3Add supporting evidence.
- 4Attach the condition that makes it work.
Sounds to watch
Straight answers
How long should this answer be?
Forty-five seconds, which is roughly 110 to 130 words at a natural pace. The model below is 109. If your version runs past fifty seconds the recording cuts off, and raters hear an answer that stops mid-sentence.
Does it matter which side I take?
No. Raters mark delivery, language use and topic development, never which opinion you chose. Pick one in the first second and spend the preparation time on two supports rather than on deciding.
What does sayit score here?
An estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar. The transcript is shown in full, so you can judge your own wording and development yourself.
What the score on your result means
An estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.Drill it until the clock stops mattering
A free account keeps every take, so you can watch your pace settle and your filler count fall across a fortnight.