The red pen has become the iconic color of grading, but not just because it’s so recognizable. Red conveys an image of warning, caution, and attention, highlighting mistakes, but also passion and support.
Some elementary school students use the color red in their workbooks. The name isn’t just an easy-to-remember brand name, it comes from the unique symbolism of the red pen. The brand’s home-visiting tutors, called “Red Pen Teachers,” visit students in person to help them learn and grade their work so they can track their progress. This approach helps students feel more connected to their teachers and gives them a sense of accomplishment. In addition, the “red pens” used by the home tutors make students pay more attention. Even in Kumon learning, which you may have experienced as a child, teachers often use red colored pencils because they intuitively distinguish between mistakes and successes, making it easier to communicate grading results to students quickly. In fact, if you think back to your elementary school days, you may remember taking a test and receiving a test sheet with your teacher’s score in red and the words “very good” written on it.
Red has long been the color of grading in education. This is why when students and parents hear the word “grading,” they often think of red circles and crosses on white test papers. Why is red so prevalent in education? Of course, there are other colors that can be used depending on personal preference, but when we think of grading colors, red is what most people think of.
If we analyze the visual impact of red scientifically, we can more or less conclude that it’s because it stands out. With a wavelength of 620740 nm, red is intensely visible to the eye, with a hue of 4 and a saturation of 14, making it more eye-catching than other colors. Typically, the background color of a test paper is a gray tone with a lightness of 79 and a saturation of 0, and the text is written in black with a lightness of 0.5, which makes red stand out more clearly against the background color and text color. This visual prominence over other colors makes red a natural choice for grading. However, there are other colors that can be used for grading that aren’t necessarily red, such as blue or purple, so it’s a bit of a stretch to say that red was chosen simply because it’s a “standout” color.
The symbolic meaning and psychological effect of red is another reason why it’s often used as a grading color. Red is the color of blood, which instinctively conjures up images of warning, prohibition, and danger. These images can be effective in highlighting mistakes or errors, especially in encouraging learners to be more careful and review content more carefully. However, research has also shown that the intensity of this color can make students feel intimidated or have negative emotions, so many countries have banned the use of red grading or replaced it with other colors. For example, some schools in Anglo-American countries use purple or green pens instead of red to reduce the psychological burden on students. This is an attempt to convey a softer, more positive message, rather than the warning or cautionary image of red.
The color red is not just a negative color, but also a positive one. On the one hand, red symbolizes enthusiasm, energy, and confidence, and it gives people a sense of warmth. As in the case of Orion Chocolate Pie, the red packaging symbolizes love, and the product is meant to share love and convey warmth. Also, the “red devil” T-shirts worn by Korea’s supporters during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup are a good example of the positive power of red. As you can see, red is not just a color that symbolizes warning or danger, but it has also been used to inspire love, passion, and courage.
In education, grading with a red pen is more than just pointing out errors. Circling a student’s work in red can mean “good job,” or it can mean “you got it wrong, but you can do better. So when teachers use the color red to grade, it’s not just about pointing out errors, but also about conveying warmth and encouragement to students. For example, when grading a test paper, drawing a large red circle around the parts of the paper that were done well can help students to visually see their achievements and feel more confident.
In this regard, I’d like to suggest a more positive use of red marking. You could draw a large red circle or smiley face on correct answers to emphasize the sense of accomplishment, and use green or blue on incorrect answers to make it less of a warning and more of a reminder that they need to work on it. These are small changes that can help students accept grading without feeling hurt, and make them more enthusiastic about their work.
