| Final | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Kornelia Ender | GDR | 55.65 | 1. 1. | | 2. Petra Priemer | GDR | 56.49 | 3. 7. | | 3. Enith Brigitha | NED | 56.65 | 2. 5. | | 4. Kim Peyton | USA | 56.81 | 4. 2. | | 5. Shirley Babashoff | USA | 56.95 | 11.3. | | 6. Claudia Hempel | GDR | 56.99 | 5. 4. | | 7. Jill Sterkel | USA | 57.06 | 6. 6. | | 8. Jutta Weber | FRG | 57.26 | 9. 8. |
|
|
| Semi 1 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Kim Peyton | USA | 56.89s | 2. | | 2. Enith Brigitha | NED | 57.08s | 5. | | 3. Jill Sterkel | USA | 57.19s | 6. | | 4. Barbara Clark | CAN | 57.72s | 9. | | 5. Gail Amundrud | CAN | 58.10s | 11. | | 6. Rebecca Perrott | NZL | 58.13s | 13. | | 7. Ineke Ran | NED | 58.50s | 14. | | 8. Guylaine Berger | FRA | 58.62s | 15. |
|
| Semi 2 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Kornelia Ender | GDR | 55.82s | 1. | | 2. Shirley Babashoff | USA | 56.95s | 3. | | 3. Claudia Hempel | GDR | 57.05s | 4. | | 4. Petra Priemer | GDR | 57.21s | 7. | | 5. Jutta Weber | FRG | 57.35s | 8. | | 6. Anne Jardin | CAN | 57.78s | 10. | | 7. Lene Jenssen | NOR | 58.10s | 12. | | 8. Jenny Tate | AUS | 58.88s | 16. |
|
| Heat 7 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Kornelia Ender | GDR | 55.81s | 1. | | 2. Gail Amundrud | CAN | 58.01s | 10. | | 3. Lyubov Kobzova | URS | 58.93s | 17. | | 4. Anne Richard | BEL | 59.11s | 19. | | 5. Diana Olsson | SWE | 1:00.46 | 26. | | 6. Susana Coppo | ARG | 1:02.46 | 39. | | 7. Jane Fayer | PUR | 1:02.89 | 41. |
|
| Heat 6 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Enith Brigitha | NED | 56.61s | 2. | | 2. Kim Peyton | USA | 57.26s | 4. | | 3. Ineke Ran | NED | 58.08s | 12. | | 4. Drue Le Guier | AUS | 59.40s | 22. | | 5. Beate Jasch | FRG | 1:00.80 | 32. | | 6. María Paris | CRC | 1:01.53 | 34. |
|
| Heat 5 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Claudia Hempel | GDR | 57.35s | 5. | | 2. Lene Jenssen | NOR | 58.10s | 13. | | 3. Jenny Tate | AUS | 58.78s | 15. | | 4. Marina Klyuchnikova | URS | 59.30s | 21. | | 5. Rachaniw Bulakul | THA | 1:01.33 | 33. | | 6. Rossana Juncos | ARG | 1:01.89 | 36. |
|
| Heat 4 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Shirley Babashoff | USA | 58.06s | 11. | | 2. Barbara Clark | CAN | 58.29s | 14. | | 3. Susan Edmondson | GBR | 1:00.64 | 28. | | 4. Berber Kamstra | NED | 1:00.68 | 30. | | 5. Geert Boekhout | BEL | 1:00.76 | 31. | | 6. Marianela Huen | VEN | 1:02.51 | 40. | | 7. Georgina Osorio | PAN | 1:03.88 | 44. |
|
| Heat 3 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Jill Sterkel | USA | 57.41s | 6. | | 2. Guylaine Berger | FRA | 58.79s | 16. | | 3. Irina Vlasova | URS | 58.99s | 18. | | 4. Elaine Gray | GBR | 1:00.31 | 24. | | 5. Ivis Poleo | VEN | 1:03.07 | 42. | | 6. Karen Robertson | HKG | 1:04.29 | 45. |
|
| Heat 2 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Anne Jardin | CAN | 57.61s | 7. | | 2. Jutta Weber | FRG | 57.71s | 9. | | 3. Sachiko Yamazaki | JPN | 1:00.43 | 25. | | 4. Regina Nissen | FRG | 1:00.60 | 27. | | 5. Lesleigh Harvey | AUS | 1:01.59 | 35. | | 6. Deirdre Sheehan | IRE | 1:02.11 | 37. | | 7. Vilborg Sverrisdóttir | ISL | 1:03.26 | 43. |
|
| Heat 1 | Team | time | Rk. | | 1. Petra Priemer | GDR | 56.95s | 3. | | 2. Rebecca Perrott | NZL | 57.66s | 8. | | 3. Pia Mårtensson | SWE | 59.15s | 20. | | 4. Ida Hansson | SWE | 1:00.22 | 23. | | 5. Shelley Cramer | USV | 1:00.67 | 29. | | 6. Myriam Mizouni | TUN | 1:02.42 | 38. |
|
|
| 