Marking tests with red coloured pens could upset students

Sociologists Richard Dukes and Heather Albanesi from the University of Colorado told the Journal of Social Science that the red grading pen can upset students and weaken teacher-student relations and perhaps learning.

In 2008, hundreds of schools banned teachers from using red ink to correct work because they considered it “confrontational” and “threatening”. But Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, slammed the findings saying that in his experience of 35 years in teaching, children actually prefer teachers to use red ink because they can read comments more easily.