| 1 | Tatyana Samolenko-Dorovskikh | URS | |
3:58,56 | |
| 2 | Hildegard Körner | GDR | |
3:58,67 | |
| 3 | Doina Melinte | ROM | |
3:59,27 | |
| 4 | Cornelia Bürki | SUI | 3:59,90 | NR | |
| 5 | Andrea Lange-Hahmann | GDR | 4:00,63 | ||
| 6 | Kirsty Wade | GBR | 4:01,41 | ||
| 7 | Diana Richburg | USA | 4:01,79 | ||
| 8 | Elly Van Hulst | NED | 4:03,63 | NR | |
| 9 | Svetlana Kitova | URS | 4:04,66 | ||
| 10 | Linda Sheskey | USA | 4:08,33 | ||
| 11 | Debbie Scott-Bowker | CAN | 4:08,38 | ||
| 12 | Mitica Junghiatu-Constantin | ROM | 4:10,35 | ||
| 13 | Marina Yachmenyova | URS | 4:10,51 | ||
| Ulrike Bruns | GDR | DNF | |||
| Sandra Gasser | SUI | DQ |