Experienced fellow allowed to have learner demoted (4)
I believe the answer is:
felt
'experienced' is the definition.
(feeling is a kind of experiencing)
I cannot understand how the remainder of the clue works.
(Other definitions for felt that I've seen before include "Cloth; touched" , "woolly material" , "Fingered" , "Experienced, say, emotion" , "Cloth of pressed wool and fur" .)