This study explores differences in students' reading comprehension of International Financial Reporting Standards in a South African financial reporting class with a heterogeneous student cohort. Statistically significant differences were identified for prior academic performance, language of instruction, first language and enrolment in the "Thuthuka" programme. Where students, in a heterogeneous financial reporting class, require additional interventions to develop their reading comprehension, instructors may need to consider implementing differentiated instruction. Although this study considers South African students, the results may be of interest in other multicultural or multilingual environments, particularly where students also have diverse traits and backgrounds and have to comprehend learning material in a second language.