Tutorial: Reviewing an Enzyme Experiment's Results: Listening Answers & Explanations
IELTS Listening practice test · 8 questionsPart 3hard
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About this recording
The recording opens: “Come in, Amira. So, you wanted to go through the results of your catalase experiment before you write it up.”
- Transcript length: about 532 words
- Questions: 8
- Question types: Multiple Choice, Matching Features, Sentence Completion
“Tutorial: Reviewing an Enzyme Experiment's Results” is an original IELTS-style practice recording written by IELTS-Bank. It is not taken from an official IELTS or Cambridge test, so these answers only apply to our version.
Answer key at a glance
Tutorial: Reviewing an Enzyme Experiment's Results answers with explanations
Question 1: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
At which temperature was the reaction fastest?
- A. 30 degrees
- B. 40 degrees
- C. 50 degrees
- 1
The reaction rate peaked at
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Answer: B — 40 degrees
Why: The passage states that the reaction was fastest at forty degrees, which is identified as the optimum temperature before the enzyme denatured at higher temperatures.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 1 (Dr Halvorsen) “You were measuring how temperature affects the rate of the reaction, is that right?”
Question 2: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Why did the rate fall sharply at 50 degrees?
- A. the enzyme was denatured by the heat
- B. there was not enough hydrogen peroxide
- C. the timer was started late
- 2
At 50 degrees the rate dropped because
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Answer: A — the enzyme was denatured by the heat
Why: The passage explains that the rate dropped sharply at 50 degrees because the enzyme was denatured, meaning the heat changed its shape so it stopped working.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 4 (Amira) “After that, at fifty, it fell sharply, which I think is the enzyme being denatured — the heat changing its shape so it stops working.”
Questions 3–5: Matching Features
What was the likely cause of the problem at each temperature?
Choose the correct cause A–E for each result and select the correct letter.
- A. slow reaction time starting the timer
- B. the liver had dried out and was inconsistent
- C. the repeats were not done (missing data)
- D. the peroxide was too concentrated
- E. the thermometer was broken
- 3
the 10-degree reading (too high)
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Answer: A — slow reaction time starting the timer
Why: The 10-degree reading was too high because Amira likely started the timer late during her first trial, making the reaction appear faster than it was, as discussed with Dr Halvorsen.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 5 (Dr Halvorsen) “Your ten-degree reading — you have it much higher than the twenty-degree one, which makes no sense.”
- 4
the 30-degree repeats (inconsistent)
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Answer: B — the liver had dried out and was inconsistent
Why: The 30-degree repeats were inconsistent because the liver used had dried out, leading to varying enzyme amounts, as Amira noted that the liver batch had been sitting out and was not consistent.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 8 (Amira) “It had been sitting out and I think it had partly dried out, so the amount of enzyme wasn't consistent between the repeats.”
- 5
the 50-degree reading (only one value)
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Answer: C — the repeats were not done (missing data)
Why: The 50-degree reading has only one value because Amira ran out of time and couldn't perform the repeats, resulting in missing data, as she admitted in the passage.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 10 (Amira) “That one I'll admit — I simply ran out of time and couldn't do the repeats.”
Question 6: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
What does the tutor say Amira should do with the anomalous 10-degree point?
- A. delete it quietly
- B. keep it but mark it as an anomaly and explain it
- C. use it as the main result
- 6
The anomalous point should be
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Answer: B — keep it but mark it as an anomaly and explain it
Why: Dr Halvorsen advises Amira to keep the anomalous 10-degree point, mark it clearly as an anomaly, and explain why it's unreliable, rather than deleting it, to maintain honesty in scientific reporting.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 15 (Dr Halvorsen) “Keep it, mark it clearly as an anomaly, and explain why you think it's unreliable.”
Questions 7–8: Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
- 7
The variables kept the same in every trial are called the ______ variables.(max 1 word)
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Answer: control (also accepted: controlled)
Why: The answer is found when Dr Halvorsen confirms that the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, its volume, and the mass of the liver, which Amira kept constant, are referred to as the control variables for a fair test.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 12 (Amira) “The things I kept constant were the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide, the volume of it, and the mass of the liver.”
- 8
The heat stops the enzyme working by causing it to become ______.(max 1 word)
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Answer: denatured
Why: The answer is found when Amira explains that at fifty degrees, the enzyme stops working because the heat changes its shape, which Dr Halvorsen confirms as denaturing, indicating the enzyme becomes denatured.
What you hear · Transcript, paragraph 4 (Amira) “After that, at fifty, it fell sharply, which I think is the enzyme being denatured — the heat changing its shape so it stops working.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 8 scaled to the 40-question IELTS Listening conversion table. This is the same estimate the practice page shows after you submit. A single recording is a small sample, so treat it as a guide.
| Correct answers | Estimated band |
|---|---|
| 8 / 8 | 9.0 |
| 7 / 8 | 8.0 |
| 6 / 8 | 7.0 |
| 5 / 8 | 6.0 |
| 4 / 8 | 5.5 |
| 3 / 8 | 4.5 |
| 2 / 8 | 4.0 |
| 1 / 8 | 2.5 |
| 0 / 8 | 0.0 |
Full-test score? Use the IELTS band calculator.
Tips for the question types in this test
Listening Part 3
- Before the audio, read the questions and note whose view each one asks about — "What does Marta think…" is answered by Marta’s words, not her tutor’s.
- Learn the voices in the first few seconds: names are always exchanged early, and attaching name to voice immediately pays off for the whole part.
Common trap: Attributing one speaker’s opinion to another, especially when a speaker summarises someone else’s view before disagreeing with it.
Full Listening Part 3 strategyPractise “Tutorial: Reviewing an Enzyme Experiment's Results” under exam conditions
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