Vocabulary and Processing Speed Explain Reading and Writing Disparities Between Linguistic Groups in Higher Education

Selective admissions at universities in the United Kingdom aim to ensure a baseline language competence, yet, despite persistent achievement disparities across linguistic backgrounds, systematic comparisons of linguistic skills underpinning academic success remain rare. This study compared English proficiency among three groups of first‐year undergraduates: British (n = 60), European (n = 59), and Chinese (n = 58). Two proficiency skills—reading comprehension and text summarization—were assessed alongside 11 theoretically motivated component measures. Although previously reported gaps between British and Chinese students were replicated, European students performed comparably to British students on several measures, reflecting English proficiency variation across L2 groups consistent with sector‐level patterns of academic outcomes. Group differences in reading and writing were explained by underlying component skills, particularly vocabulary knowledge and processing efficiency. Findings carry theoretical and policy implications, highlighting the need for targeted linguistic support to address persistent group disparities in academic outcomes within increasingly diverse university settings.