"We are not frightened to go to those issues just because they can be pigeonholed as 'lefty progressive issues'," Board of Studies president Tom Alegounarias said. "Just as we are not afraid to go to [for the first time] issues of the Enlightenment, and to what otherwise might be characterised as conservative views of how we developed."

The proposed new modern history electives will highlight the environment and women's movements between the 1960s and '70s, the survival of modern Tibet and focus on people who changed Australia with an emphasis on the work of Aboriginal activists Charles Perkins, Eddie Mabo and Faith Bandler.

"These are undeniably issues that kids have to deal with, we are not saying that kids are going to be taught of the positive impact of any of those movements but rather to understand their genesis and development," Mr Alegounarias said.

"They will be better informed if they study them, and if they want to become conservative talkback radio hosts, they will be better informed."

Teachers will still have the opportunity to closely cover the development of a particular nation, historical figures and the development of Nazi Germany.

Across history and English subject areas Asian texts and societies will have a greater focus as the country seeks to forge closer ties with our nearest trading partners.

The changes are just a few of the sweeping amendments to four subjects: maths, science, English and history, set to come into effect from 2018 after NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli announced the largest changes to the HSC in a generation on Tuesday.

In a "fundamental" change to the teaching of English that is expected to be met with resistance from the English Teachers Association, the theory-based and post-modern approaches to literature that have shaped the syllabus for decades will be abandoned in favour of a return to a close study of original texts.

"We always had this related text approach where if you had to study Frankenstein you had to study Blade Runner. Or the worst example for me: If you studied [Jane Austen's] Emma you had to study Clueless," Mr Alegounarias said.

While also encouraging a return to the canon, the English curriculum has been expanded to cover Aboriginal cultures, Australia's engagement with Asia, environmental and social sustainability and creative thinking, while abandoning an overall focus on critical theories such as feminism and nihilism.

After years of negative student feedback, themed modules such as "Journeys" and "Belonging" will also be axed, while language and grammar will be taught up to the most advanced levels of English.

Overall, the reforms aim to introduce fewer topics and more depth across the HSC, encouraging more analysis and less rote learning.

Assessment across all subjects, but particularly high level major work-based subjects such as English Extension 2, will have a significant in-class component to ensure students are not outsourcing their work to Google, parents or private tutors.

In maths, there is a new focus on teaching its practical applications for abstract problems by introducing personal finance and statistics at all levels, including extension maths. At the highest level, Extension 2 Maths is expected to become more complex.

Mr Alegounarias said he expected the community to be broadly supportive of the changes.

"There is always one curmudgeonly mathematician who will say 'If you are teaching finance you are risking bridges falling down," he said.

From 2018, a common marking scale will be introduced to discourage students taking easier levels of maths in a bid for higher marks, as the board attempts to arrest a terminal slide in the number of students taking high level maths across the state.

The draft syllabuses will be available for feedback until August 31.