The line graph below shows who Americans spend their time with, by age. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Question:

The line graph below shows who Americans spend their time with, by age. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Band 9 Answer

The line graph illustrates the amount of time Americans spend with different groups—alone, with a partner, children, family, friends, and coworkers—at various ages.

Overall, people tend to spend more time alone as they age, whereas time spent with coworkers and friends decreases significantly. Time with family and children peaks in middle age, while interactions with a partner remain relatively stable.

In early adulthood (20s), time with friends and coworkers is at its highest, while time spent alone is minimal. However, from the 30s onwards, time with family and children increases, reaching its peak in middle age (40-50 years). Conversely, time with friends and coworkers declines steadily after the 30s.

By the age of 60, time spent alone becomes the dominant category and continues to rise into old age. In contrast, time with a partner remains fairly stable throughout adulthood but slightly declines in later years. The amount of time spent with children diminishes significantly after middle age.

In summary, while social interactions shift over time, there is a clear transition from spending time with coworkers and friends in youth to spending more time alone in old age.

Vocabulary

• Illustrates
• Significantly
• Steadily
• Conversely
• Dominant
• Decline
• Transition
• Interactions
• Peaks
• Relatively

Band 8 Answer

The line graph presents data on how much time Americans spend with different groups at various ages.

Overall, people spend the most time with coworkers and friends in early adulthood, whereas time alone becomes dominant in later years. Family and children occupy a significant portion of middle-age life.

In the early years (20s), Americans spend the most time with friends and coworkers, but this gradually decreases with age. In contrast, time with children and family increases, reaching its highest point in the 40s and 50s.

By the age of 60, time alone overtakes all other categories and continues to rise. Time with a partner remains relatively steady throughout life, while time with children and friends declines significantly after middle age.

Overall, time alone dominates in later years, while social interactions with friends and coworkers decline over time.

Vocabulary

• Presents
• Gradually
• Dominant
• Significant
• Decline
• Steady
• Overtake
• Whereas
• Throughout
• Increase

Band-7 Answer

The line graph shows how Americans spend their time with different people at different ages.

It is clear that time with coworkers and friends is highest in young adulthood, whereas time alone increases with age. Family and children become more significant in middle age.

In their 20s, people spend most of their time with friends and coworkers. However, from their 30s onwards, time with children and family increases, reaching a peak in middle age.

After 60, time alone becomes the most common, while time with children, friends, and coworkers decreases. Time with a partner remains mostly stable but declines slightly in later life.

Overall, people shift from social time in youth to spending more time alone in old age.

Vocabulary

• Shows
• Highest
• Increase
• Clear
• Common
• Stable
• Decline
• Peak
• Shift
• Middle Age

Band-6 Answer

The graph shows how much time Americans spend with different people as they age.

Young people spend the most time with coworkers and friends, while older people spend the most time alone.

In their 20s, people mostly spend time with coworkers and friends. However, as they get older, time with family and children increases.

After the age of 60, people spend the most time alone, while time with friends, coworkers, and children decreases. Time with a partner stays about the same.

Overall, younger people spend more time socially, while older people spend more time alone.

Vocabulary

• Graph
• Spend
• Increase
• Decrease
• Older
• Younger
• Most
• Same
• About
• Socially

Connectors Used

• Overall
• Whereas
• In contrast
• Conversely
• However
• While
• After
• Throughout
• By the age of
• Similarly