Students are promoted in the Main Tae Kwon-do Programme after being successful in their grading examinations, which they are allowed to sit after having trained and studied for the required amount of time & when their Instructor feels they are ready to take the next step.

The grading system is as follows:

Junior and Senior Belt Colours

There are six main belts - these are white, yellow, green, blue, red and black.

White is the first belt given to the beginner and black is given after progression through the grades. The minimum time from white to black belt being 3 ½ years.

Each colour, with exception of black, has two levels of grade, making ten in total. The definition of the belt colours are as follows:

Colour Belt Grades		Definitions of the Belts
	10th Kup White Belt	Signifies innocence as that of the beginning student who has no previous knowledge of Tae Kwon-do
	9th Kup White Belt / Yellow Tag
	8th Kup Yellow Belt	Signifies earth from which the plant takes root and sprouts as Tae Kwon-do foundation is laid
	7th Kup Yellow Belt / Green Tag
	6th Kup Green Belt	Signifies the plants growth as Tae Kwon-do skill begins to develop
	5th Kup Green Belt / Blue Tag
	4th Kup Blue Belt	Signifies the heaven towards which the plant matures into a towering tree as training in Tae Kwon-do progresses
	3rd Kup Blue Belt / Red Tag
	2nd Kup Red Belt	Signifies danger, cautioning the student to exercise control and warning the opponent to stay away
	1st Kup Black Tag	Opposite of white, therefore signifying maturity and proficiency in Tae Kwon-do. It also indicates the wearers imperviousness to darkness and fear