| 1 | Gunda Kleemann (Neo) | GDR | 4:25.96 | | - | 25 |
| 2 | Heike Schalling (Senior) | GDR | 4:28.67 | | +2.710 | 22 |
| 3 | Constanze Moser (Senior) | GDR | 4:29.88 | | +3.920 | 20 |
| 4 | Sabine Becker (Senior) | FRG | 4:30.50 | PB | +4.540 | 18 |
| 5 | Jacqueline Börner (Senior) | GDR | 4:31.56 | | +5.600 | 16 |
| 6 | Svetlana Sjurova-Bojko (Senior) | URS | 4:33.33 | | +7.370 | 15 |
| 7 | Marieke Stam (Senior) | NED | 4:34.36 | SB | +8.400 | 14 |
| 8 | Elena Belci-Dal Farra (Senior) | ITA | 4:34.84 | | +8.880 | 13 |
| 9 | Petra Becker (Neo) | FRG | 4:38.38 | | +12.420 | 12 |
| 10 | Anja Mischke (Neo) | FRG | 4:39.07 | | +13.110 | 11 |
| 11 | Herma Emmens-Meijer (Neo) | NED | 4:39.67 | | +13.710 | 10 |
| 12 | Hiromi Yamamoto (Neo) | JPN | 4:40.94 | | +14.980 | 9 |
| 13 | Emese Nemeth-Hunyady (Senior) | AUT | 4:42.38 | | +16.420 | 8 |
| 14 | Ljudmila Titova-Morozova (Senior) | URS | 4:42.76 | | +16.800 | 7 |
| 15 | Lia van Schie (A2) | NED | 4:43.44 | | +17.480 | 6 |
| 16 | Minna Nystedt (Neo) | NOR | 4:45.01 | | +19.050 | 5 |
| 17 | Heidi Skjeggestad (Neo) | NOR | 4:45.32 | | +19.360 | 4 |
| 18 | Chantal Côté (Senior) | CAN | 4:46.59 | | +20.630 | 3 |
| 19 | Gang-Ok Lee (A2) | PRK | 4:46.63 | | +20.670 | 2 |
| 20 | Anette Tønsberg (Neo) | NOR | 4:47.19 | | +21.230 | 1 |
| 21 | Tatjana Zakharova (Neo) | URS | 4:48.56 | | +22.600 | 0 |
| 22 | Svetlana Koval (Neo) | URS | 4:48.75 | | +22.790 | 0 |
| 23 | Chang-Suk Chong (C2) | PRK | 4:50.31 | NRJ | +24.350 | 0 |
| 24 | Hege Langli (A2) | NOR | 4:52.54 | | +26.580 | 0 |
| 25 | Ewa Justyna Wasilewska-Borkowska (Neo) | POL | 4:53.38 | | +27.420 | 0 |
| 26 | Stefanie Teeuwen (Neo) | FRG | 4:54.00 | | +28.040 | 0 |
| 27 | Sandra Zwolle (A2) | NED | 4:57.87 | | +31.910 | 0 |
| 28 | Susanna Kantanen (Neo) | FIN | 5:00.37 | | +34.410 | 0 |
| 29 | Ida Stárková (Senior) | TCH | 5:10.64 | | +44.680 | 0 |
| 30 | Jaroslava Srbova (Senior) | TCH | 5:11.30 | SB | +45.340 | 0 |