awards the best story winner to Lynne.

Cheat! By Allan Baillie

'Cheat!' is a simple but interesting story about
two schoolchildren and their attitude to peer
achievements and relationships. The short story
competition is won by Geoff and he wins the
Holmes-Watkins Medal. Lynne's story is placed
second and she feels disappointed. However, she
learns to accept her failure and decides to let go.
Then, she comes across a short story of writer
William Bradburie's story. Immediately, Lynne
assumes that Geoff has cheated and did not
write his own story. She is in a dilemma as to
whether and how she should expose Geoff.
During the class discussion on careers, Lynne
holds back exposing Geoff but later she
inadvertently mentions the name Bradburie and
notices Geoff's reaction. A few minutes later, she
is called into Headmaster Veloss office and
Geoff is there too with the Holmes-Watkins
Medal. Mr Velos explains that Geoff feels he
might have taken his story from Bradburie's
collection. So, he decides to reverse the results
and Lynne wins the prize. But, Lynne is unhappy
with the way the situation has turned out. She
begins to have doubts about her own story.

Point of View
The story is told in the third person point of view.
Give insight into the feelings and thoughts of the
characters.

Setting
School hall
The results of the short story competition are
announced here.
Home of Lynne
She lets go her feelings of disappointment
when she does not get first placing in the
competition and she keeps her completed
work
Corridor in school
Lynne comes to accept Geoff's winning the
competition.
Classroom
Class discussion on future careers
Corridor outside classroom
Lynne blurts out the writer's name BradburieGeoff is taken aback
Headmaster Velo's office
Geoff confesses he might have taken the
idea for his short story from Bradburie's
book. Mr Velos does not disqualify him but

Time

A few school days

Present time

Plot
Exposition
Lynne waits impatiently for Headmaster Velos to
announce the results of the short story
competition. He announces Geoff as the winner
of the short story competition with Lynne in
second place. Lynne is disappointed but hides
her feelings as she congratulates Geoff.
Conflict
Lynne keeps her short story and puts aside her
disappointment and carries on with her school
work. She concentrates on making to the school
basketball team. She even enjoys Geoff's joke
about how the headmaster chose the winner.
Climax
Lynne comes across Bradburie's story about an
elephant which escaped in a park. She assumes
that Geoff has cheated by copying this story. She
debates on whether to tell Headmaster Velos
and how to do it. She decides not to do or say
anything about it.
Falling Action
After a class discussion on careers, Lynne
mentions the name, Bradburie in a sudden burst
of anger. Lynne notices that Geoff looks
disturbed and fells that sooner or later the truth
will be out. Lynne is called to the headmaster's
office. Geoff is there too and the medal is on a
Bradburie book on the table.
Resolution
Headmaster Velos tells Lynne that Geoff feels
his story of the elephant is based on a story he
read three years ago. As such his story may not
be original and so the results of the competition
are to be reversed. Geoff is not disqualified but
Lynne's story is now accepted as the first-place
winner. This is unexpected and Lynne fells
cheated as it is an empty victory. Then, the story
ends with a twist as Lynne begins to wonder
whether she has read any story about a
sheepdog.

Language and style

Simple language and easy to understand

Descriptive of the feelings of the characters
and situations

Tone, Mood and Atmosphere

 Serious with regards to school activities and

the headmaster's approach to the situation
Anxiety while waiting for the announcement
of the story competition results
Analytical and awkwardness of need to
expose someone's wrongdoing.
Atmosphere-suspenseful as the reader can
feel the character's anxiety and
disappointment from the beginning to the
end of the story.
One or two light moments when Geoff jokes
about how Headmaster Velos choose the
winning story and when the class has a
discussion about careers

Literary Devices
Irony
It is an irony that before Lynne can expose
Geoff, the latter confesses to Headmaster
Velos but he is not disqualified merely
pushed down to second placing. It is an irony
that Geoff's telling the truth about his story
not being original ends with Lynne as the
winner of the competition.
But, she loses confidence and begins to
doubt her own work.
Rhetorical questions
'Ah, well, second is not so bad, is it?
'But who would tell Velos? '
Imagery
The line 'Lynne was talking hollowly in an
empty room' gives a clear picture of
uncertainty and helplessness about the
problem.
The line'everything tasted of cardboard'
gives a clear picture of the deep
disappointment and anger within Lynne.
Repetition
Shut up. Shut up
"Perhaps a tie' 'It had to be a tie
Flashback
Lynne felt slightly ill as she recalls the
amount of work she put into writing her story
and the pain she suffered 'in putting it all
together'.
Symbolism
The short story competition is a symbol of
creativity of the schoolchildren.
The name 'Bradburie' is a symbol of the
possibility that the children's short stories are
not original.
It also symbolises the question of how
creative schoolchildren as amateur writers

can be and how original can a story be.

Personification
'the words as they lay on his tongue'
personifies words as being able to lay down
like people
Figurative Devices
Figurative expressions
'a quiver of pain'
'with a straight face'
'have your eye on a different direction'
Simile
'swallow the bitter taste from her mouth' is
synonymous to trying to control her anger.
Comparison
'everything tasted of cardboard' is a
comparison of food and paper indicating that
the food is tasteless.
Diction
'shouted at him silently'
'next time use heavier paper'
'he seemed to be drifting away'.
Themes
Themes
Being
judgeme
ntal

Explanation and textual

evidence
Explanation
The short story is revolved around
the theme of being judgemental.
There are a few characters can be
related to this theme. They might
jump into conclusion too soon and
it caused misunderstanding.
Examples
Lynne is one of the characters who
are judgemental. After she read
about the book written by William
Bradburie in the library, she was
filled with anger. She said that
Geoff is cheating in the short story
competition even though she has
never read Geoffs story before.
Another person related to the
theme is Marge. She is the
classmate for Geoff and Marge.
When Geoff mentioned that he
wanted to be a barrister or lawyer,
Marge labelled him as money

Creative
writing
is not
always
original

minded. It can be hurtful when we

labelled someone.
Explanation
A creative idea or innovation like is
not always original because we will
take idea and inspiration from
different resources to make
improvement. The same goes with
story writing, the originality does
not really exist because our storys
idea will come from the story that
we read our experience and our
surrounding.

on trying
until we
achieve
success.
Avoid
being
judgemen
tal

Example
Lynne emphasised the importance
of originality in the writing. When
she realised that Geoff is not
cheating, she was wondering
whether she had read any story
related to the sheepdog in flood.
As for Geoff story, although his
story idea is similar to William
Bradburies story, Mr Velos told
Lynne that the story is still consider
original and Geoff is not cheating.
Moral Values
Moral
Explanation Examples
Values
Honesty
Honesty and We consider that
and
courage are
Geoff is an honest
courage
about being
person. After
brave to tell
Lynne shouted at
someone the Geoff, Geoff went
truth. We
to Mr Velos office
must take
to confess that he
responsibility might be cheating
to the
due to the
mistakes
similarity of his
that we have story and William
done.
Bradburies story.
Persevera
nce

If we are
perseveranc
e, we will not
give up
easily even
the job is
challenging
or difficult.
We will keep

Lynne used weeks

to complete the
miserable story.
She spent time to
draft and rewrite
the story. Although
in the end, she
won the second
place in the

We must not
be
judgemental
because the
truth might
be different
from what
we think. If
we do not
know the
detail of the
situation, we
should not
make the
conclusion
too soon.

competition, I
personally
consider that it is
a good result from
her hard work.
After she read
about the book
written by William
Bradburie in the
library, she was
filled with anger.
She said that
Geoff is cheating
in the short story
competition even
though she has
never read Geoffs
story before.

Characters
Lynne
Textual evidence
Webbing
s
Ambitious Lynne had a big dream to win the
Holmes-Watkins medal in the short
story competition. When the result
announced, she felt really
disappointed.
Jealous
Lynne was jealous and vengeful
and
when Geoff won the competition.
vengeful
After she discovered that William
Bradburies story was similar to
Geoffs story, she wanted to take
revenge by reporting to Mr Velos
so that she could win back the
medal.
Perseveri
ng

Geoff
Bolder
Humorous

Lynne used weeks to complete the

miserable story. She spent time to
draft and rewrite the story.
Although in the end, she won the
second place in the competition, I
personally consider that it is a good
result from her hard work.
Textual evidence
Geoff tried to cheer Lynne by telling
her a joke. Geoff joked about how
Mr Velos picked the winner by
climbing up to his lovely special

mahogany desk and dropped both

papers, and the papers that hit the
floor first wins.
Realistic

Although Geoff has potential in

writing, he wants to be a barrister
because he says that there is more

money in law.
Honest

Geoff confessed to Mr Velos that

he had read a book by the
American Humourist, William
Bradburie three years ago.