| 1 | Doina Melinte | ROM | 4:05,41 | Q |
| 2 | Hildegard Körner | GDR | 4:05,42 | Q |
| 3 | Tatyana Samolenko-Dorovskikh | URS | 4:05,48 | Q |
| 4 | Elly Van Hulst | NED | 4:05,57 | Q |
| 5 | Linda Sheskey | USA | 4:06,03 | q |
| 6 | Fatima Aouam | MAR | 4:07,38 | |
| 7 | Yvonne Murray | GBR | 4:07,83 | |
| 8 | Brit Lind-Petersen-McRoberts | CAN | 4:08,37 | |
| 9 | Annika Ericson | SWE | 4:11,59 | |
| 10 | Maria Lomba | STP | 5:01,43 | |
| Selina Chirchir | KEN | DNS |
| 1 | Andrea Lange-Hahmann | GDR | 4:05,18 | Q | |
| 2 | Sandra Gasser | SUI | 4:05,48 | Q | |
| 3 | Marina Yachmenyova | URS | 4:05,51 | Q | |
| 4 | Mitica Junghiatu-Constantin | ROM | 4:05,60 | Q | |
| 5 | Debbie Scott-Bowker | CAN | 4:05,90 | q | |
| 6 | Diana Richburg | USA | 4:07,10 | q | |
| 7 | Brigitte Kraus | FRG | 4:07,40 | ||
| 8 | Agnese Possamai | ITA | 4:08,84 | ||
| 9 | Florence Giolitti | FRA | 4:09,08 | ||
| 10 | Alphocinah Simelane | SWZ | 4:35,64 | NR | |
| 11 | Georgine Tomisato | AMS | 5:49,52 |
| 1 | Ulrike Bruns | GDR | 4:08,36 | Q |
| 2 | Cornelia Bürki | SUI | 4:08,39 | Q |
| 3 | Svetlana Kitova | URS | 4:08,64 | Q |
| 4 | Kirsty Wade | GBR | 4:09,06 | Q |
| 5 | Paula Ilie-Ivan | ROM | 4:09,28 | |
| 6 | Vera Michallek | FRG | 4:09,89 | |
| 7 | Regina Jacobs | USA | 4:12,52 | |
| 8 | Christine Pfitzinger | NZL | 4:13,59 | |
| 9 | Maite Zúñiga | ESP | 4:16,21 | |
| 10 | Evelyn Adiru | UGA | 4:17,72 | |
| 11 | Kriscia Garcia | ESA | 4:34,76 |