The pre-flight check does not count them
The pre-flight check on Release cards — the "Before you release" list — looks at scores, activities, learners with nothing encoded, grades still recomputing and the 20% absence rule. It says nothing about observed values or comments, so neither will ever stop a release.
What the release summary does tell you
The confirmation that opens on Release cards carries an Observed values line: either "Every learner marked on all 4 core values", or a count like "22 of 38 learners fully marked; the rest print blank cells", with a link straight to Conduct. Read that line before you confirm.
Comments are not summarised there at all. The "12 of 38 written" counter on the Report cards page is the only check, so look at it before you release.
What a blank prints
Exactly nothing. An unmarked value prints an empty cell in its period column, and a learner with no comment gets an empty Teacher's Comments line for that period. There is no dash, no placeholder, and no hint to the parent that something was meant to be there.
Afterwards
A released period is closed to both. Marking is refused on the grid, and a comment saved on a released period gives "The report cards for Term 1 are already released, so their comments are closed. Take the release back first if a comment must change."
To fix one:
- Class → Release cards → Take back the release.
- Mark the values on Conduct, write the comments on Report cards.
- Release again. The cards go out as a new revision, so nobody is left holding two different cards with no explanation.
Taking a release back stops the old links working, so it is worth spending the two minutes on both counters first.