| 1 | Brigitte Kraus | FRG | 4:16,02 | Q |
| 2 | Mitica Constantin | ROM | 4:16,80 | Q |
| 3 | Rita Csordos | HUN | 4:16,80 | Q |
| 4 | Helena Barocsi | HUN | 4:16,85 | q |
| 5 | Anushka Dimitrova | BUL | 4:17,67 | |
| 6 | Valentina Tauceri | ITA | 4:19,97 |
| 1 | Marina Lachmanova | URS | 4:10,15 | Q |
| 2 | Doina Melinte | ROM | 4:11,53 | Q |
| 3 | Maite Zuniga | ESP | 4:11,92 | Q |
| 4 | Katalin Racz | HUN | 4:12,77 | q |
| 5 | Christine Toonstra | NED | 4:14,05 | q |
| 6 | Uta Eckhardt | FRG | 4:23,59 |