| 1 | Ileana Silai | ROM | 2:06,0 | Q | NR |
| 2 | Hildegard Falck | FRG | 2:06,1 | Q | |
| 3 | Claire Walsh | IRL | 2:07,4 | ||
| 4 | Magdolna Kulcsár | HUN | 2:08,4 |
| 1 | Donata Govoni | ITA | 2:09,6 | Q |
| 2 | Colette Besson | FRA | 2:10,2 | Q |
| 3 | Rosemarie Klute | FRG | 2:10,6 | |
| 4 | Marie Otová | TCH | 2:11,0 | |
| 5 | Dshena Bineva | BUL | 2:12,1 |
| 1 | Nadeshda Kolesnikova | URS | 2:07,9 | Q |
| 2 | Rosemary Stirling | GBR | 2:08,8 | Q |
| 3 | Maria Coro Fuentes | ESP | 2:10,6 | |
| 4 | Vesela Tasheva | BUL | 2:11,1 | |
| 5 | Hannelore Heyn | FRG | 2:12,7 |