About the authors

Mary Jones

Mary obtained an MSc in Zoology from the University of Oxford. She has worked as a teacher and a lecturer in different types of educational institution, teaching students of all ages. Mary’s greatest interest is in sharing her love of science with young learners. She has written many textbooks, in which she aims to encourage learners to ‘think like a scientist’. Her long involvement in examining and in international training has given her insight into the difficulties that learners all over the world have in understanding some topics in science, and this has informed her writing approach. She is passionate about the need to develop skills rather than just accumulating knowledge – skills that are vital for students to be successful as they move into higher education or the world of work.

Diane Fellowes-Freeman

Diane was a teacher for almost 40 years, mostly as Head of the Science Department at several large state schools in the south of England. She has taught all three sciences to students of all abilities up to GCSE and biology and chemistry to A Level. With so many changes in science courses over this time she has developed many new resources to meet the new specifications and to help her students. When her own children were young she spent some time teaching (mainly science) at their primary school, which was a new, fascinating and enjoyable experience. She is passionate about engaging students in science so that they are able to understand and appreciate more about the world around them. It is important they see the relevance of science to their future. Throughout her career she loved learning from other teachers and trying new techniques. One of the most enjoyable and rewarding parts of her job was mentoring many teacher training students and teachers who were newly qualified. Whilst still teaching full time she did some work for Cambridge University Press but the first big project was for the previous Checkpoint edition. She has been fortunate to be invited to speak at a number of Cambridge overseas training events in Dubai, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. It is always a delight to meet so many teachers and share ideas and skills. Her hope is that teachers will find this new edition gives them more help to develop their skills and provide an excellent foundation in science for all their learners.

Michael Smyth

Michael graduated with a PhD in Biophysics and began his career in research at the University of Oxford. His enthusiasm for both science and education then led him into full-time teaching. Michael spent most of his teaching career as a Head of Science in a leading UK private school, which taught across the age ranges from kindergarten to A Level. He significantly raised attainment in the sciences at this school. With publications spanning four decades, Michael’s work includes articles in high-impact journals and secondary science learning aids for the 11 – 19 age groups. His work has been featured in major newspapers and he has won international awards for his work in science education. A senior examiner for over 20 years, Michael currently writes and marks exam papers, trains teachers and examiners and writes books and articles on science. Michael remains passionate about the sciences and science education, realising that teachers of today are preparing the scientists of tomorrow. He feels this series will greatly benefit teachers and learners alike. The Learner’s Books give clear explanations with accompanying pictures and diagrams. The Workbooks give learners practice at answering test-style questions and these questions are fully differentiated. Taken together, Michael believes these components conspire to be the most powerful learning tool available for the 11 – 14 age group.