You must answer the question

Unfortunately when it comes to exams, you can't simply ask the examiner to move onto a different question. Instead, you always need to respond, regardless if you really have something to say about it or not.

Good news! These are communication tests, not knowledge tests. The Cambridge examiners are never going to verify the information you give and check if what you said was true or not. Furthermore, you can always say if something isn't relevant to you while continuing to talk about the topic in a general way. 

Lastly, you never need to be an expert about a topic. Even in your native language, there are some topics you can talk at length about and others where you won't have much to say.  Cambridge's questions are designed to talk about topics all people will have some general knowledge and opinion about., so you'll always have something to say. 

Never say "Yes" or "No"

Never give a one word answer or a short answer. Firstly: if you do, the examiner is always going to ask you "why", so it's better to be proactive and give more information. Secondly: that won't let the examiner evaluate your English.

Minimally, follow this strategy instead and adapt it depending on how long you need to talk for:

• • • Answer the question directly (make your point)

    • Explain why you said what you said (give a reason)

    • Give a specific and relevant example (if there's time)

Get into the habit of responding to questions this way well in advance of your exam. You should use this strategy when talking with a tutor, a teacher, or even a conversation partner. Use it in your classes. Use it while you do your daily speaking prompts. You can even use it in real life, too. It will seem strange at first, but over time it gets much, much easier.

Adapt the length of your response depending on which part of the speaking exam you're doing:

• • • Part 1 questions - aim to talk for about 15 - 20 seconds; you'll have enough time to say 2 or 3 sentences.

    • Part 3 and 4 questions - aim to talk for about 20 - 30 seconds, but don't dominate the conversation; keep your contributions relatively short.