What is a Hybrid Essay?
A hybrid essay task gives a single topic but you are asked two separate questions related to the topic. You address both questions individually. There can be a combination of different question types, including argumentative, opinion, or even discussive.
You need to address both questions clearly so that you do not lose points as 25% of your score is for task response, exhibiting how well you perform the task.
Example: “International companies have great benefit to many countries in which they are. At the same time, there is concern about their impact on local economies and the environment.
Do the disadvantages of international companies outweigh the advantages?
How can the disadvantages be mitigated?”
I want you to note that this task seems to have three parts however, for the first question “Do the disadvantages of international companies outweigh the advantages?” just pick one side and discuss that. You can decide to discuss the advantages or the disadvantages. That is in the first main body paragraph. You then discuss how the disadvantages can be solved in the second main body paragraph.
That said, some quick and advanced writers will discuss the advantages in the first main body paragraph, the disadvantages in the second main body paragraph and then the solutions in the third main body paragraph. To do this, you should be sure of your speed in writing, otherwise, you might be caught up with time.
In other words:
Introduction: Give what you understand about the topic and develop a good thesis statement at the end.
Body 1: Address question 1, here start with the advantages of international companies. Discuss them in correct grammar and give some examples.
Body 2: Address question 2. Here you then discuss the solutions to the disadvantages of international companies.
Conclusion: Restate your stand and sum the discussion made in the main body.
If you have decided to discuss the advantages and disadvantages in the first question, then you have three main body paragraphs.
Important points
It is important that you read and understand both questions in relation to the main statement given.
As you decide on whether to discuss the advantages, disadvantages and the solutions, think of the time and word count.
It is important that you show a good linkage of the two questions as you discuss. This gives a good cohesion and transition between paragraphs. For example, when starting the solution paragraph, you can start:
“Though there are advantages, international companies have enormous disadvantages for which solutions like increased tax to save local industries can be applied.”
In the above sentence, I not only link the previous paragraph to the new one, I also introduce one of the views to be discussed in the paragraph because it is a topic sentence. So I develop a more complex sentence.
SAMPLE TASK AND RESPONSE.
International companies have great benefit to many countries in which they are. At the same time, there is concern about their impact on local economies and the environment.
Do the disadvantages of international companies outweigh the advantages?
How can the disadvantages be mitigated?
The influx of international companies sprawling all over the world has caused concern among some people, with many according a horde of advantages to them while others assume there are sundry disadvantages that need to be mitigated. True there are many advantages, but also some disadvantages that need to be addressed.
First off, such international companies accord employment to many people in the countries they operate. Unemployment is one of the gravest issues in many countries because of lack of investment. The development of multinational companies comes with the development of infrastructures like roads that will benefit the whole society. Sundry multinational companies have due diligence especially when it comes to environment protection. They are a great source of government revenue to help fill government coffers for development of other infrastructures like hospitals and schools.
That said, their downsides, including pollution, cannot be underestimated. International companies usually have less concern for the environment in the countries they operate, emitting a lot of greenhouse gases that impact people’s lives. It is common that local products by domestic companies will also be affected as people tend to prefer products of services by international companies. On many occasions, they hike the labor market pay as they offer more than local companies, making it hard for domestic companies to hire and match their pay.
Governments can impose more taxes than they do with local companies to protect the local companies and offer them a lifeline in business. International companies should be forced to adhere to international environment laws to avoid pollution. There should be a wage maximum and minimum for specific same jobs so that local companies can also be able to hire professionals.
In sum, there are numerous advantages of international companies, especially for government revenue and employment however, the disadvantages can be mitigated if governments set strict environment laws and wage cup.