Student constrained by awful English record (9)
I believe the answer is:
chronicle
'record' is the definition.
(chronicle is a kind of record)
'student constrained by awful english' is the wordplay.
'student' becomes 'L' (as in L-plates for learner drivers).
'constrained by' indicates putting letters inside.
'awful' becomes 'chronic' (old-fashioned slang for 'poor quality').
'english' becomes 'E' (abbreviation as in OED).
'chronic'+'e'='chronice'
'l' going within 'chronice' is 'CHRONICLE'.
(Other definitions for chronicle that I've seen before include "Register of events over time" , "(Make a) historical record" , "Narrative description of past events" , "(Keep an) historical record" , "Historical account" .)