James is three times as old as his brother. In 5 years time, their total age will be 44 years. What is James's current age?

Let $J$ be James's current age and $B$ be his brother's current age.
From the first statement, "James is three times as old as his brother":

$$J = 3B \quad (1)$$

From the second statement, "In 5 years time, their total age will be 44 years":
In 5 years, James's age will be $J+5$ and his brother's age will be $B+5$.

$$(J+5) + (B+5) = 44 \quad (2)$$

$$J + B + 10 = 44$$

Subtract 10 from both sides:

$$J + B = 34 \quad (3)$$

Substitute $3B$ for $J$ in Equation (3):

$$3B + B = 34$$ $$4B = 34$$

Divide by 4:

$$B = \frac{34}{4}$$ $$B = \frac{17}{2}$$ $$B = 8.5$$

So, the brother's current age is 8.5 years.

Substitute the value of $B$ into Equation (1):

$$J = 3B$$ $$J = 3 \times 8.5$$ $$J = 25.5$$

James's current age is 25.5 years.

The question asks for James's age now.
James's current age is $\text{25.5 years}$.