nouns that can be countable or uncountable
When you’re preparing for the IELTS Speaking or Writing tests, using vocabulary precisely can make a big difference in your band score. One common word that many students think they understand but often misuse is the word experience.
Did you know that experience can be both countable and uncountable—and that the meaning changes depending on how it’s used?
Let’s break it down with examples, real-life stories, and IELTS-style practice.
🧠 What’s the Difference?
🔹 Experience (Uncountable)
This refers to knowledge or skill you gain over time by doing or seeing things. You don’t count individual events. You talk about experience as a general concept.
🗣️ Example (from a job ad):
“Previous retail experience is essential for this job.”
Here, experience refers to the overall knowledge or skill someone has from working in retail. It doesn’t matter how many shops or jobs—they’re all considered one big pool of experience.
📌 Common phrases:
- work experience
- life experience
- gain/get experience
- extensive/valuable/limited experience
📝 More examples:
- “Students gain work experience through internships.”
- “Her extensive experience in software design helped the team succeed.”
- “They have limited experience working abroad.”
🔹 Experience (Countable)
This refers to individual events or things that happened to you. These are specific experiences you can count.
🗣️ Example (from a personal story):
“I visited the US as a child and again recently for work. Both experiences were interesting, but very different.”
Here, the speaker is talking about two separate visits, so “experience” becomes countable.
📌 Common phrases:
- a bad/good/amazing experience
- one of the best experiences of my life
- an unforgettable experience
📝 More examples:
- “I had a bad experience on a flight once—it made me afraid to fly again.”
- “The trip was full of wonderful experiences.”
- “This whole experience has changed how I see education.”
✨ Real-Life IELTS-style Stories
Let’s look at how IELTS candidates might use this word in Speaking or Writing.
✅ IELTS Speaking Part 2 Cue Card: Describe a work experience you’ve had.
“Last summer, I worked as a waiter in a busy cafe. It was my first experience of customer service, and I learned a lot about teamwork and communication. Although it was tiring, the overall experience was very rewarding.”
✅ Notice: The speaker uses experience in both countable (“first experience”) and uncountable (“overall experience”) forms correctly.
✅ IELTS Writing Task 2: “Some people believe that experience is more important than qualifications. To what extent do you agree?”
“While formal education provides theoretical knowledge, real-world experience allows individuals to apply that knowledge practically. For example, someone with years of experience in the tech industry may outperform a recent graduate in problem-solving and decision-making.”
✅ Notice: Here, experience is uncountable, as it refers to general accumulated knowledge.
🧪 Mini Quiz – Countable or Uncountable?
Try to decide if experience is countable (C) or uncountable (U) in these sentences:
- I had a strange experience while traveling in India. → ___
- Employers look for experience in managing teams. → ___
- She shared some of her childhood experiences with us. → ___
- I’m hoping to gain experience in digital marketing. → ___
(Answers at the bottom of the post!)
📝 Final Tip for IELTS Learners
👉 When you’re talking about general knowledge or skill – use uncountable:
- “She has a lot of experience in teaching.”
👉 When you’re talking about specific events – use countable:
- “Teaching in a rural school was a unique experience.”
✅ Quiz Answers:
- Countable
- Uncountable
- Countable
- Uncountable
💬 Got a personal experience you’d like to share? Use the comment section to write your own short story using both forms of the word “experience” and get feedback from our team!