In the gradebook, columns are automatically created for each graded activity added to the course. We may need to group or arrange the columns in a certain way, or even create new columns to add grades or to calculate partial grades.

To organize our gradebook, we need to access Gradebook setup by selecting this option from the dropdown menu. You can also access the same page from the gear icon, under Course administration > Gradebook setup.

Here you can add elements such as categories and grade items. And what are categories for? For example, to group items that will contribute a certain percentage to the grade (Course assignments count for 50%, forum contributions 20%, and exams 30%) or to group by topics (Each topic goes into a category and has a calculated grade).

Therefore, create as many categories as you need by clicking Add > Add category.

The next step is to create grade items if necessary, and assign the elements to the corresponding category. 

Grade items are necessary if, for example, you need a place to add the grade for a paper or in-person activity. The assignment is done by clicking the double arrow on each element and selecting where to move it.

If you want to move several at once, you can use the checkboxes to select them and them to from the Move selected items to... dropdown at the bottom.

In the ... icon under the Actions column you will find other options, such as hide, edit, etc.

To finish, click Save changes.

In the grader, categories appear as bars at the top, as wide as all the items they contain.