It is natural to be nervous in a speaking exam and therefore you often end up rushing your answer, however it is important to take your time, make sure you have understood the question correctly and give yourself time to form an answer in the best way possible. A useful tip is to use a few short phrases to give yourself a little extra time to think about how you are going to answer.
Here are a few words and expressions you can use:
Bueno, … – Well, …
Pues, … – Well, …
A ver – Let’s see
Vamos a ver – Let’s see
Déjeme que piense un momento, – Let me think for a moment,
Es un tema muy controvertido / complicado – It’s a very controversial / complicated topic
If you haven’t understood the question, ask:
¿Puede repetir, por favor? – Can you repeat, please?
Creo que … – I believe that …
Pienso que … – I think that …
Opino que … – I have the opinion that …
Me parece que … – It seems to me that …
Para mí, – As for me,
Estoy de acuerdo que … – I agree that …
No estoy de acuerdo que … – I don’t agree that …
Estoy a favor de – I am in favour
Estoy en contra de – I am against
Claro – Of course / Clearly
Por supuesto – Of course
Es verdad – It is true
Tiene razón – You are right
En cambio – In exchange
Sin embargo – Nevertheless
No obstante – However
Por otro lado – On the other hand
It is also good to use connecting phrases:
también – also
porque – because
además – furthermore / besides
por eso – therefore
Also see the blog article “Tips for GCSE / AS / A2 Spanish – using connecting phrases” for more good linking expressions.