| Final | | time | | | 1. Karin Burneleit |  East Germany | 4:09.62 | WR | | 2. Gunhild Hoffmeister | East Germany | 4:10.31 | | | 3. Ellen Tittel |  West Germany | 4:10.35 | NR | | 4. Rita Ridley |  Great Britain | 4:12.65 | NR | | 5. Regine Kleinau | East Germany | 4:13.71 | | | 6. Lyudmila Bragina |  Soviet Union | 4:13.93 | | | 7. Jaroslava Jehličková |  Czechoslovakia | 4:14.79 | | | 8. Joan Allison | Great Britain | 4:14.81 | | | 9. Sara Ligetkuti |  Hungary | 4:16.06 | NR | | 10.Vasilena Amzina |  Bulgaria | 4:17.27 | | | 11.Sheila Carey | Great Britain | 4:17.54 | | | 12.Inger Knutsson |  Sweden | 4:21.45 | |
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| Intermediates | | 400m: Veselina Amzina, Bulgaria 1:07.9 | | 800m: Regine Kleinau, East Germany 2:16.8 | | 1200m: Karin Burneleit, East Germany 3:23.7 |
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Heats - Friday 13.08 19:20 | | First 4 progress to Final. |
| Heat 1 | | time | | | 1. Ellen Tittel | West Germany | 4:14.2 | Q | | 2. Lyudmila Bragina | Soviet Union | 4:15.0 | Q | | 3. Regine Kleinau | East Germany | 4:15.3 | Q | | 4. Sheila Carey | Great Britain | 4:16.2 | Q | | 5. Zsuzsa Völgyi | Hungary | 4:18.0 | NR | | 6. Sinikka Tyynelä |  Finland | 4:22.0 | NR | | 7. Maria-Belen Azpeitia |  Spain | 4:24.0 | NR | | 8. Anneke de Lange |  Netherlands | 4:24.2 | | | 9. Vera Nikolić |  Yugoslavia | 4:24.5 | | | 10.Angela Ramello |  Italy | 4:30.3 | |
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| Heat 2 | | time | | | 1. Karin Burneleit | East Germany | 4:14.9 | Q | | 2. Vasilena Amzina | Bulgaria | 4:16.8 | NR Q | | 3. Rita Ridley | Great Britain | 4:17.4 | Q | | 4. Inger Knutsson | Sweden | 4:18.2 | Q | | 5. Magdolna Kulcsár | Hungary | 4:21.2 | | | 6. Đurica Rajher | Yugoslavia | 4:22.4 | | | 7. Joke van der Stelt | Netherlands | 4:23.0 | | | 8. Catherine Bultez |  France | 4:23.1 | NR | | 9. Gerda Klöpfer | West Germany | 4:25.8 | |
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| Heat 3 | | time | | | 1. Gunhild Hoffmeister | East Germany | 4:17.2 | Q | | 2. Joan Allison | Great Britain | 4:17.2 | Q | | 3. Jaroslava Jehličková | Czechoslovakia | 4:17.4 | Q | | 4. Sara Ligetkuti | Hungary | 4:17.6 | NR Q | | 5. Christa Merten | West Germany | 4:18.2 | | | 6. Galina Kuzmina | Soviet Union | 4:19.1 | | | 7. Els Gommers | Netherlands | 4:19.3 | | | 8. Grete Andersen |  Norway | 4:23.0 | | | 9. Bronisława Doborzyńska |  Poland | 4:24.2 | | | 10.Zina Boniolo | Italy | 4:31.4 | | | 11.Lena Sjöstedt | Sweden | 4:34.0 | |
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