Pivot tables
Graded the way you'd grade it by hand — not just “a pivot exists.” GridGrade checks field placement, rows vs. columns, the aggregation, filters, Show Values As, and whether the pivot is still pointing at last week's data.
field: pivot
Launching Fall 2026 · Early access open
Grade the spreadsheet work that other tools can't.
The pivot tables, Power Query, and formulas you grade by hand — graded automatically, and fairly. GridGrade credits every valid method students use to reach the answer, and shows the evidence behind every mark, so you stay the grader of record.
Not ready yet? Just keep me posted → One email when we open. No drip, no sales calls.
Full credit
=SUMPRODUCT((A2:A5="West")*B2:B5)
10 / 10 · full credit
Student used SUMPRODUCT; it reaches the same result as the expected SUMIFS.
Deduction
Values area contains Count of LineItem_Cost — expected Sum.
−2
Fix: change the value field aggregation to Sum.
Same workbook, same grade — every time
Evidence behind every mark
Works even if students move the answer
You stay the grader of record
Review-recommended by design. GridGrade does the heavy lifting; you confirm the calls that matter.
And the everyday checks, handled.
Power Query (our flagship)
Power Query is the part most auto-graders can't touch — so you grade it by hand. GridGrade grades it the way you would: the joins a student set up, how they grouped and combined data, and the order of their steps — then checks it against the result you expected.
field: power query
Formulas
SUMIFS, XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH and more, graded by what they compute, not by exact text.
field: formulas
Charts
Type, titles, axis labels, and series ranges, with flexible label matching.
field: charts
Marked right for any correct method.
A student isn't marked wrong for solving it a different correct way. SUMIFS, SUMPRODUCT, or a pivot — if it reaches the right answer, it earns full credit. Same for VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, or INDEX/MATCH. Fewer 'but I got the right number' emails.
field: method
Feedback students learn from
Every deduction carries what the student did, why points came off, and how to fix it — not “Cell B7: Incorrect.”
field: feedback
Where other auto-graders stop, the real grading starts.
We don't compete on cell-value matching — that's a solved problem. We grade the assessments that actually matter in an analytics course, and we accept the many valid ways students reach the answer.
| The task | Most graders today | GridGrade |
|---|---|---|
| Pivot tables | Checks only that a pivot exists | Full structure: placement, aggregation, filters, Show Values As, stale source |
| Power Query | Can't grade it | Grades the query a student built — joins, grouping, step order — and checks it against the expected result |
| Multiple valid methods | One rigid right answer | Credits every valid method — a formula, a pivot, or Power Query — that reaches the right answer |
| Answer moved or sheet renamed | Breaks on fixed cells | Finds the answer even if a student moved it or renamed the sheet |
| Partial credit | Limited carry-through | Dependency-aware: a correct step on a wrong upstream value isn't double-penalized |
| Feedback | “Cell B7: Incorrect” | Evidence + reason + a fix suggestion on every deduction |
Pivot tables
Most graders todayChecks only that a pivot exists
GridGradeFull structure: placement, aggregation, filters, Show Values As, stale source
Power Query
Most graders todayCan't grade it
GridGradeGrades the query a student built — joins, grouping, step order — and checks it against the expected result
Multiple valid methods
Most graders todayOne rigid right answer
GridGradeCredits every valid method — a formula, a pivot, or Power Query — that reaches the right answer
Answer moved or sheet renamed
Most graders todayBreaks on fixed cells
GridGradeFinds the answer even if a student moved it or renamed the sheet
Partial credit
Most graders todayLimited carry-through
GridGradeDependency-aware: a correct step on a wrong upstream value isn't double-penalized
Feedback
Most graders today“Cell B7: Incorrect”
GridGradeEvidence + reason + a fix suggestion on every deduction
Comparisons reflect publicly documented capabilities of common spreadsheet auto-graders.
Four steps, fully reproducible.
Locate
Find each answer by what it is, wherever the student put it. If it's ambiguous, we flag it instead of guessing.
Extract
Read the real work: formulas, pivot definitions, the steps behind a query, chart specs.
Compare
Right, acceptable, or a trap — recognizing every valid method.
Score
Award credit and partial credit with confidence, and surface low-confidence cases for your review.
Pricing that doesn't punish your students.
Your students pay $0 when your department buys the section license — or $24.99 for the whole year if there's no budget at all. Either way, less money leaves your course, and the grading goes deeper.
From $299
/ section / semester
$24.99 / student / year
no-budget option
$0
design-partner pilots
Questions instructors ask.
- Is it a black box? How do I trust the grade?
- No. Every mark carries the evidence behind it — what the student did, why points came off, and the exact location it was found — and the same workbook earns the same grade every time. You stay the grader of record and confirm the calls that matter. See how it works →
- Where does my students' data go? Is it FERPA-safe?
- During our Fall 2026 pilot, grading runs locally on the instructor's machine — no student data goes to any cloud — and third-party AI can be switched off entirely. We treat student work as sensitive by default. Read our Privacy & FERPA stance →
- How accurate is it? What if it isn't sure?
- It doesn't guess. When a case is ambiguous or low-confidence, GridGrade flags it for your review instead of inventing a mark. You make the final call on anything it surfaces. See the method →
- How much setup is this for me?
- We build your first rubric with you, from a real exam you already grade by hand, and walk you through the evidence behind every mark. You don't start from a blank page. Talk to us →
- Will my students get marked down for solving it a different way?
- No. GridGrade credits every valid method — a formula, a pivot, or Power Query — that reaches the right answer, and accepts different layouts. If a valid approach is ever missed, that's exactly the signal we act on. Why GridGrade →
- Does this lock me in?
- No. You keep your rubrics and your gradebook exports, and you remain the grader of record. Pricing is per section or per year with no long-term contract, and design-partner pilots are free. See pricing →
See GridGrade on one of your own assignments.
Tell us about your course and we'll run GridGrade on a real exam you already grade by hand — then walk you through the evidence behind every mark. We're taking a small Fall 2026 cohort, chosen for fit. Design partners pay $0 and help shape what ships.
Request early access and one human replies within two business days — no sales calls, ever. Or just keep me posted: one email when we open, no drip.
Built by an instructor, for instructors — by someone who has graded these spreadsheets by hand.