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Australian students are not showing signs of a drastic drop in literacy and numeracy originally feared after two years of COVID-19.

But while NAPLAN results are stable, gaps between boys and girls, as well as Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, remain.

There has been a decrease in Year 5 numeracy and Year 9 spelling.

The former is a downturn in an otherwise slow upward trend since 2008, while the latter is a reversal after years of increases since NAPLAN began.

Education Minister Jason Clare has declared the results "better than expected".

"This is the first Naplan since those big lockdowns in Melbourne and Sydney last year and there was some pretty horrific predictions about what that could mean," he told ABC News on Monday.

"That hasn't transpired.

"I think that's a tribute to the incredible work teachers and parents and students did. We've seen pretty stable results across most of the categories."

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority chief executive David Carvalho said overall and for a second year in a row, the national level results have defied predictions.

Nationally, writing results for Years 5, 7 and 9 are tending upwards, as well as spelling for Years 4, 5 and 7.

However, the number of Year 9 boys falling below the national minimum standard has risen, with 13.5 per cent not achieving the benchmark compared to 8.5 per cent in 2008.

There are long-term gaps in the number of boys and girls achieving the national minimum standard.

Female students generally outperform males and the gap blows out to as big as 10 per cent in reading and writing by Year 9.

Boys outperform girls in numeracy and while the small gaps between the two were shrinking, they have begun to stabilise.

Gaps in reading, writing and numeracy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students fluctuate between 10 to 25 per cent.

Fewer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students reach the minimum standard as they get older.

But Mr Carvalho hopes a jump in grammar and punctuation results for First Nations Year 7s signals an upward trend.

Year 3 and 5 Indigenous students are showing a steady improvement in writing, while Year 9s are showing a stable upward trend in numeracy.

The number of students from a language background other than English achieving minimum standards remains closely on par with pupils whose primary language is English.

There are positive trends in reading, grammar and punctuation in some of the cohorts.

In reading and writing, some students from a language background other than English even outperform the general cohort.

The authority has some concerns about a decline in participation that was larger than the long-term drop.

"This issue is of concern, as low participation rates can impact results analysis and the ability to get a clear picture of literacy and numeracy achievement at the national level," Mr de Carvalho said

© AAP 2022

South Korea is mourning the deaths of more than 153 people, mostly in their 20s and 30s, who were crushed after a huge Halloween party crowd surged into a narrow alley in Seoul.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said the death count could further rise as 37 of the 133 other injured people were in serious conditions.

Ninety-seven of the dead were women and 56 were men. More than 80 per cent of the dead are in their 20s and 30s, but at least four were teenagers.

At least 20 of the dead are foreigners including one from Australia, one American and others from China, Russia, Iran and elsewhere.

Witnesses said the crowd surge on Saturday night in the Itaewon area caused "a hell-like" chaos as people fell on each other "like dominoes."

Some people were bleeding from their noses and mouths while being given CPR, witnesses said, while others clad in Halloween costumes continued to sing and dance nearby, possibly without knowing the severity of the situation.

"I still can't believe what has happened. It was like a hell," said Kim Mi Sung, an official at a nonprofit organisation that promotes tourism in Itaewon who performed CPR on 10 people who were unconscious before nine of them were declared dead.

An estimated 100,000 people had gathered in Itaewon for the country's biggest outdoor Halloween festivities since the pandemic began. The South Korean government had eased COVID-19 restrictions in recent months.

Authorities said thousands of people have called or visited a nearby city office, reporting missing relatives and asking officials to confirm whether they were among those injured or dead after the crush.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a one-week national mourning period on Sunday and ordered flags at government buildings and public offices to fly at half-staff.

"This is really devastating. The tragedy and disaster that need not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul amid Halloween (celebrations)," Yoon said during the speech.

In an interview with news channel YTN, Hwang Min-hyeok, a visitor to Itaewon, said it was shocking to see rows of bodies near the hotel. He said emergency workers were initially overwhelmed, leaving pedestrians struggling to administer CPR to the injured lying on the streets. People wailed beside the bodies of their friends, he said.

World leaders offered condolences, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

"All our thoughts are with those currently responding and all South Koreans at this very distressing time," he tweeted.

Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, tweeted that reports of the disaster were "heartbreaking" and said Washington "stands ready to provide the Republic of Korea with any support it needs."

The last South Korean disaster this deadly also hit young people the hardest. In April 2014, 304 people, mostly high school students, died in a ferry sinking. The sinking exposed lax safety rules and regulatory failures. It was partially blamed on excessive and poorly fastened cargo and a crew poorly trained for emergency situations.

Saturday's deaths will likely draw public scrutiny of what government officials have done to improve public safety standards since the ferry disaster.

This was the deadliest crushing disaster in South Korean history.

It was also Asia's second major crushing disaster in a month. On October 1, police in Indonesia fired tear gas at a soccer match, causing a crush that killed 132 people as spectators attempted to flee.

© RAW 2022

An Australian has died in a stampede in the South Korean capital that has left more than 150 people dead after a crowd became unruly.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it had been notified of the Australian's death in Seoul on Saturday night, local time.

A spokesman said consular officials were providing assistance to the deceased's family.

They are also working to help other Australians present at the event.

"The Australian government sends its condolences to the family and others affected by this tragic incident," the spokesman said.

The disaster happened as a huge crowd celebrating Halloween on Saturday night surged into an alley in a nightclub area, which is popular among young people, expatriates and travellers, in Seoul.

"Our sincere condolences for all affected by this terrible tragedy," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tweeted on Sunday before news broke of the Australian's death.

Also earlier on Sunday, Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Catherine Raper joined Mr Albanese in conveying Australia's condolences to the South Korean government, describing the incident as "tragic".

"We ask all Australians in Seoul to check in with friends and family to let them know your whereabouts," Ms Raper tweeted.

More than 80 people were injured, many seriously, in the melee around 10.30pm in Seoul's Itaewon district.

Choi Sung-beom, head of the Yongsan Fire Station, said many of the victims were women in their twenties, according to Reuters.

Up to 19 foreigners were among the dead, including citizens of China, Iran, Uzbekistan and Norway.

It was the first Halloween event in Seoul in three years after the country lifted COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing.

Many of the partygoers were wearing masks and Halloween costumes. Some witnesses said the crowd had become increasingly unruly as the night wore on.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has declared a period of national mourning.

The disaster is among the country's deadliest since a 2014 ferry sinking that killed 304 people, mainly high school students.

Australians concerned about the welfare of loved ones in Seoul can call the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Trade Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135. Those outside Australia can call +61 2 6261 3305.

© AAP 2022