This study aims to investigate to what extent and in what ways the IELTS reading course in a language school in China offers candidates an adequate preparation for the test. It offers a detailed discussion about how the preparation course improves the candidates’ test performance through investigation of their feedback on course expectation, course structure, teaching materials and teaching methods. The study attempts to explore whether the reading course in this language school lives up to the requirements of the IELTS reading test and effectively helps candidates perform well in the test.