Plans A and B are partially explained by the 2nd last paragraph of my previous post. And the 4th last.
Most year 12 pupils have a Plan A of getting the best A levels they can, then going to University. With them aiming to go to the most prestigious university they can for their predicted and actual A level grades.
With them having a certain preference for what course they will study, or what general course area they will study.
It's Plan A for Academic.
Plan B for Better.
It's better but very few year 12 pupils will realise that it's better. And it's a "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink" type of plan.
There's loads of different flavours of Plan B. And the best Plan B for any particular teenager will depend on that particular person.
Plan B works best when someone has a chip on their shoulder, or a lot of determination, or they're doers more than they're thinkers, or when they have great mentorship that they follow, or a great support and advice network, or they're "misfits", or people that don't follow the crowd and do their own stuff instead.
A good way to come up with a plan B is to reverse engineer it from the ideal goal of wanting to earn more than your parents and teachers by the time you're 25. And to work backwards from there in terms of what would you have to do to make that happen. What seems like the best route for you to earn £100,000 per year (or whatever the figure is)? And for that route to involve you doing something workwise that you're happy enough to do.
Having a Plan B, and maybe a Plan C, D, E, F etc is a superb thing to have as a 6th form student. Because it takes away so much of the stress and pressure of Plan A.
And because working on your Plan B is likely to result in significant personal development for you, as a person.
Going to university is not required in order to have a great life.
Passing A levels is not required in order to square away the money earning side of your life by the time you're 25.