A+, A, B, C vs. -3 to +3: Which Trade Grading System Is Best?
Letter grades and numeric scores measure different things. Here is how traders should grade setup quality, execution, and behaviour.
One trade grade is usually not enough.
Traders like simple grades because they make review feel clean. A+, A, B, C. Or -3 to +3. Pick a scale, score the trade, move on.
The problem is that a trade is not one thing. It is a setup, an entry, a risk decision, an exit, and a behavioural event. A single grade often hides which part was good and which part failed.
A trade can be a good idea handled badly. It can also be a poor idea handled with discipline.
Letter grades are best for setup quality.
A+, A, B, C works well when the question is, 'How good was the opportunity before I touched it?'
This is useful because setup quality should be judged before the outcome. An A+ setup can lose. A C setup can win. If the journal lets P&L rewrite the grade, the system becomes useless.
| Grade | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A+ | Textbook setup, correct market context, clean invalidation, enough room to target. |
| A | Strong setup with one minor imperfection. |
| B | Playable but conditional. Needs smaller size or faster review. |
| C | Low-quality opportunity. Usually a skip unless there is a specific reason. |
-3 to +3 is better for execution and behaviour.
A numeric range is better when the question is, 'How well did I behave relative to my plan?'
Execution is not about whether the trade won. It is about whether the trader followed the rules they claimed to trade by.
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| +3 | Followed the plan under pressure and managed the trade cleanly. |
| +1 | Mostly followed the plan with small execution flaws. |
| 0 | Neutral or unclear. Review notes needed. |
| -1 | Minor rule break or hesitation affected the trade. |
| -3 | Major rule break: oversized, moved stop, revenge trade, or ignored invalidation. |
The best system uses both.
Leaf Edge's preferred model is simple: grade the setup with letters, score the execution with numbers.
That gives you combinations that actually teach something. A+ setup, -2 execution means the opportunity was good but the trader mishandled it. C setup, +3 execution means the trader followed rules on a weak opportunity and should ask why they took it at all.
A concrete example
A trader takes a clean pullback into VWAP after a strong opening drive. The setup is A. They enter late, size too large, move the stop, and exit in panic for a small gain.
If they grade the whole trade as a B because it made money, they learn nothing. A better grade is A setup, -2 execution.
That says the real work is not finding better setups. It is handling good setups without interfering.
Leaf Edge perspective
A journal should not let one number flatten the trade.
The goal is to separate opportunity quality from decision quality. Once those are separate, the trader can see whether they need better ideas, better execution, or fewer trades.
That is what trade grading should actually do.
Leaf Edge
Know what to fix before your next trade.
Import trades, tag setups, review performance, and let Sage spot the patterns that are hard to see from P&L alone.